Haftarah Chukat
Judges 11:1-33
Haftarah Balak
“What the Lord Requires”
Micah 5:6-6:8
excerpted from TorahScope Haftarah Exhortations
This week, the two smaller Torah portions of Chukat and Balak, are being considered. When the double portion is read, Micah 5:6-6:8 is studied as the complementary Haftarah. By reading Numbers 19:1-25:9, there is a sense that a number of years were passing during the Israelites’ wilderness journey. The early traumas caused by people like Korah and his cohorts, who challenged the leadership of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam—were seemingly in the distant past. Now, perplexing ordinances like the purification rites of the red heifer were being communicated.[1] Then, in what appears to be a return to Kadesh, after having been there years before when the twelve spies returned with their negative report (Numbers 13:26), the death of Miriam was announced. A lack of water once again incited complaints from the Israelites, no doubt weary from the lengthy sojourn:
“The children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month. The people stayed in Kadesh. Miriam died there, and was buried there. There was no water for the congregation; and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. The people quarreled with Moses, and spoke, saying, ‘We wish that we had died when our brothers died before the LORD! Why have you brought the LORD’s assembly into this wilderness, that we should die there, we and our animals? Why have you made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in to this evil place? It is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.’ Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and fell on their faces. The LORD’s glory appeared to them” (Numbers 20:1-6, WMB).
Once again, Moses and Aaron resorted to falling on their faces before the Lord, and appealed to Him for guidance on how to handle another insurrection. Specific instructions were given to Moses to “speak,” to the rock, so that it would release its water. Lamentably, whether it was his age or his frustration with the people of Israel—in what appeared to be a fit of anger, Moses first rebuked the Israelite “rebels,” and then struck the rock twice. This was in violation of the Lord’s command:
“The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, you, and Aaron your brother, and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it pour out its water. You shall bring water to them out of the rock; so you shall give the congregation and their livestock drink.’ Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him. Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, ‘Hear now, you rebels! Shall we bring water out of this rock for you?’ Moses lifted up his hand, and struck the rock with his rod twice, and water came out abundantly. The congregation and their livestock drank. The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you didn’t believe in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them’” (Numbers 20:7-12, WMB).
Moses, one noted earlier to be the most humble man who had lived (Numbers 12:3), was told by the Holy One what his punishment would be. The one chosen to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, would not even be able to enter in himself.
From this point forward, the trials of the Israelites with the neighboring people groups began to exacerbate. Permission to travel through foreign territories was denied, as skirmishes broke out.[2] Eventually as the sojourn proceeds, even the beloved Aaron died, with the priestly garments being passed on to his eldest son.[3] Finally, the Israelites made it to the plains of Moab, overlooking the Promised Land, but were still surrounded by hostile peoples.[4] It was here that Balak, the king of Moab, solicited Balaam to proclaim curses upon this chosen people of the Almighty.[5]
The oracles of Balaam are interesting, and even wonderful to contemplate—as it became clear that those whom God had blessed would not be cursed. Two poignant passages which describe this reality, state the truth as follows:
“God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should repent. Has he said, and he won’t do it? Or has he spoken, and he won’t make it good? Behold, I have received a command to bless. He has blessed, and I can’t reverse it. He has not seen iniquity in Jacob. Neither has he seen perverseness in Israel. The LORD his God is with him. The shout of a king is among them” (Numbers 23:19-21, WMB).
“he says, who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, and having his eyes open: How goodly are your tents, Jacob, and your dwellings, Israel! As valleys they are spread out, as gardens by the riverside, as aloes which the LORD has planted, as cedar trees beside the waters. Water shall flow from his buckets. His seed shall be in many waters. His king shall be higher than Agag. His kingdom shall be exalted. God brings him out of Egypt. He has as it were the strength of the wild ox. He shall consume the nations his adversaries, shall break their bones in pieces, and pierce them with his arrows. He couched, he lay down as a lion, as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Everyone who blesses you is blessed. Everyone who curses you is cursed” (Numbers 24:4-9, WMB).
Here in these two passages, the prophet for hire, Balaam, actually described some of the attributes of God, which would be elaborated upon much later by the legitimate Prophet Micah. If His people’s tents truly were “fair,” then they would be men and women who demonstrated justice, lovingkindness, and they would walk humbly before Him. We have just had to read about how a lack of humility, on the part of Moses, resulted in a severe punishment. The verses which immediately precede the often quoted Micah 6:8, are important to review, because a recollection of what went on between Balak and Balaam, and how God used Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to deliver the Exodus generation, is to be considered:
“Listen now to what the LORD says: ‘Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear what you have to say. Hear, you mountains, the LORD’s indictment, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for the LORD has a case against his people, and he will contend with Israel. My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me! For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage. I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD.’ How shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams? With tens of thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my disobedience? The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does the LORD require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:1-8, WMB).
The direct link in the passage above, from Micah to our Torah portion, is found in the statement, “My people, remember what Balak king of Moab plotted against you, and how Balaam son of Beor responded to him” (NJPS). As ironic as it may sound, Balak’s prophetic word “How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel!” (Numbers 24:5, NIV), is a part of the traditional liturgy in the Jewish Synagogue, which opens up the morning Shabbat service.[6] Originally commissioned to curse Israel, Balaam had no choice but to deliver a word of blessing! Balaam’s words opened up with mah-tovu, and were only intensified by Micah’s higgid lekha adam mah-tov. What does the Lord require of us?
The Lord is not impressed with the sacrificial offerings of calves or rams, or oil and grain offerings, and certainly not a sacrifice of children—an abominable practice of pagans. Instead, for the chosen nation of Israel, the requirement as a light to the other nations, is to exhibit justice, lovingkindness, and to walk humbly before the Lord. Have you considered your personal attainment of these attributes? Do you seek justice, and as a corollary, honor your word? Are your ayes, aye, and your nays, nay? Do you honor your word like the great example of the Lord not being able to lie?[7]
How about your pursuit of lovingkindness? Are you compassionate and full of mercy? Do you readily extend grace and forgiveness when offended? Are you motivated by a love which is unconditional above all else?
How about your humility before God and people? Are you sincerely humble with others? Do you put others’ needs above your own? Are you able to receive constructive criticism without being offended? As Paul wrote his dear Philippian friends,
“If therefore there is any exhortation in Messiah, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassion, make my joy full by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself; each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others” (Philippians 2:1-4, WMB).
Part of a Believer’s spiritual responsibility, is to be a witness of the Lord’s goodness to the world in which we live. To our immediate family and extended family, we are to walk in a manner which is worthy of the call upon our lives. To our friends and neighbors, we are to be exemplifying godly attributes, which remind them that we are followers of Messiah Yeshua. To our co-workers and those we interact with in the marketplace, we are to again be an example of what it means to be a part of the family of God.
Remember this basic truth from the words of Balaam: those whom the Lord has blessed cannot be cursed. Think about the blessings He has bestowed upon you. While you are at it—remind yourself to constantly seek justice, lovingkindness, and to always walk humbly. After all, this is what the Lord requires!
NOTES
[1] Numbers 19:1-22.
[2] Numbers 20:14-21.
[3] Numbers 20:24-29.
[4] Numbers 22:1-4.
[5] Numbers 22:5-21ff.
[6] J.H. Hertz, ed., The Authorised Daily Prayer Book, revised (New York: Bloch Publishing Company, 1960), pp 4-5; Jules Harlow, ed., Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals (New York: Rabbinical Assembly, 2007), 61.
[7] For some further thoughts, consult the author’s article “God’s ‘Mah Tovu’ Requirements” (appearing in the Messianic Sabbath Helper).
