Category: Inspiration

Wilderness Journey in the Footsteps of Messiah

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn Applied Theology, InspirationLeave a comment

“These are the journeys of the children of Israel, who went out of the land of Egypt by their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron” (Num. 33:1).

Parshat Massei (מַסְעֵי, journeys) recounts forty-two encampments, each a waypoint in Israel’s wilderness journey. At first glance, it reads like a travel log; but when viewed spiritually, it becomes a mirror: a reflection of our own sojourning through life.

In the account, there are no random stops along the way. Each start and stop was “by the word of the Lord” (Num. 33:2). Even the places of hardship: Marah’s bitter waters, the thirst at Rephidim, and the rebellion at Kadesh, were part of His plan. The journey was not merely about reaching the Land, but about a people being prepared to dwell with God.

In Messianic faith, we see Messiah Yeshua/Jesus as both the destination and the companion. He is the greater Moses, leading us not just out of Egypt, but out of bondage to sin and into restoration. His footsteps sanctify our path. His presence transforms a sojourners wandering into purposeful worship.

The forty-two camps echo the forty-two generations from Abraham to Messiah (Matt. 1). Coincidence or pattern? In each generation, God is moving history toward final redemption. In each encampment, He was shaping a people for Himself, just as He is conforming His people to the image of Yeshua today (Ro. 8:29).

And so, we walk. Not aimlessly, but faithfully. Not alone, but with the Good Shepherd of Israel. Our lives may feel like a wilderness at times: dry, uncertain, and delayed. But every step is known to the One Who has ordered it (Ps. 37:23). Every pause is purposeful. Every hardship is a holy invitation to deeper faith.

We must remember: the journey is not a detour. It is the design. And Messiah walks with us, even now as our Emmanuel. 

Where are you camped today? Is it a place of rest or wrestling? Look and see the hand of God in your journey? Remember that Yeshua walks with you to the place He has prepared for you, but along the way, there may be lengthly stops in some remote places. Yet, He is still there. And in the journey, He is leading you to Himself. 

Maranatha. Shalom. 

Let the Chains Speak 

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn Applied Theology, InspirationLeave a comment

“For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Messiah Yeshua for the sake of you Gentiles…” ? (Eph. 3:1; cf. Phil. 1:13).

Success today is often measured by freedom and influence, but the Apostle Paul’s words confront us with a paradox: strength and freedom found in chains. He does not lament his imprisonment; he reframes it. Paul sees his suffering not as a detour from ministry, but as a sacred offering, an embodied testimony of the Lord’s faithfulness (Ro 15:16).

The burden of the apostles was not solely to proclaim, but to embody the message of Messiah, even in suffering (Ro. 8:17). The disciples heart does not flee hardship, rather we interpret it in light of His glory (Ps. 119:75). Paul’s chains become a message and testimony of endurance, a living example of sacrificial love (Ro. 12:1). Running the race, even while imprisoned (2 Tim. 4:7). 

If you feel confined by circumstance, grief, or uncertainty, remember Paul. Your limitations may be the very altar upon which God displays His faithfulness, glory and goodness. Ministry and discipleship is not always movement; sometimes it is remaining faithful in stillness.

Let your chains speak and proclaim the goodness of the Father (Ps. 119:68). Let them teach. Let them honor the One who redeems all things.

Maranatha. Shalom. 

The Mystery of Purity and the Rock of Our Redemption 

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn Applied Theology, InspirationLeave a comment

In Parsha Chukat/statute (Num. 19:1–22:1), we’re drawn into the enigma of the parah adumah, the red heifer, a command beyond logic, a “chok,” that purifies those defiled by death while rendering the purifier unclean (Numb. 19:1–10). This paradox reveals a profound spiritual principle: that cleansing and transformation often emerge through sacrificial loss.

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, taught that the red heifer exemplifies the soul’s capacity to serve God beyond understanding. While some commandments align with human reason, chukim (חֻקִּים/statutes) invite us into supra-rational devotion, reflecting a relationship rooted not in comprehension, but in covenantal surrender.

This idea aligns with Paul’s exhortation in Romans 12:1, calling disciples to present themselves as “living sacrifices.” We are offered up in Messiah Yeshua/Jesus. In Him the mystery of the red heifer as both offering and purifier comes into focus. Of Messiah, Paul writes, “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5:21). Like the red heifer, Yeshua bore the uncleanness of sin and death outside the camp on Golgotha (Heb. 13:11–12) to cleanse us by His own blood (1 Jn. 1:7; Eph. 1:7). 

Later in this portion, Moses is instructed to speak to the rock to supply water (Numb. 20:8), but instead he strikes it, disrupting a divine pattern. Paul reveals that the rock was Messiah (1 Cor. 10:4). Striking the rock in Exodus 17:6 prefigures the crucifixion. Numbers 20:8 was to mark a new mode of relationship to the Rock: provision through faith, reverence and obedience, not repeated suffering as a misguided sign of devotion. For Messiah was “offered once for all” (Heb. 10:10), and now we share in His provision by His promise of His presence.

The bronze serpent (Numb. 21:8–9) adds another layer. Yeshua applying the imagery to Himself said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” (John 3:14–15). Judgment becomes healing when seen through the lens of faith (Ro. 5:6-11). 

Chukat calls us beyond the reasonable and rational into redemption. Its commandments are not arbitrary, they are invitations. The red heifer, the rock, and the serpent all converge in Messiah: our purifier, our provider, and our healer. Rabbi Schneerson encouraged us to embrace the irrational commandments not with skepticism, but with faith and surrender. Yeshua shows us that the greatest mysteries of Torah are fulfilled not in the mind alone, but through lives laid down in love (Jn. 10:11; 15:13).

As leaders, shepherds, and faithful disciples we are called not only to understand these “mysteries” but to live them: to bear burdens, to speak life, and to lift up Messiah so others may live.

Maranatha. Shalom.