Numbers 20, 28-36

Chapter 20

Death of Miriam

Numbers 20:1 KJV

1 Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.

In Exodus 2 Miriam watched by the bulrushes after her mom had taken the baby Moses down to the river when he had gotten to big to hide as a 3 month old. She’s the one that offered to go get their mom to nurse him when Pharaoh's daughter had found him.

She had gone on to be a leader, with Moses and Aaron, of the children of Israel (Micah 6:4 “4 For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.” )

Exodus 15:20–21 “20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. 21 And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.”

Now she’s gone to Abraham’s bosom. A reminder of God’s promise in judgment that no one 20 and older would see the promised land. They have been in the wilderness for forty years making a journey that would have taken a maybe a couple months to make from Mt. Sinai to Canaan. Because of the unfaithfulness of the the people when told to take Canaan.

Meribah (lit. quarrel)

Numbers 20:2–13 KJV

2 And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. 3 And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! 4 And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there? 5 And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto 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. 6 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them. 7 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. 9 And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him. 10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? 11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. 12 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. 13 This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.

One judgement to another 40 years later. Exodus 17:6–7 “6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?”

There had been no water the whole time they were wandering without Yahweh supplying it and He had been faithful all that time. Yet this is how quickly we forget what God’s done for us in the past when we’re in a jam in the present.

Numbers 20:3–5 “3 And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! 4 And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there? 5 And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto 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.”

They blamed Moses even though they had been following Yahweh in the pillar of cloud and fire the whole time.

Numbers 20:6 “6 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them.”

It should have been them that fell on their face and prayed but at least they had a mediator in Moses.

Numbers 20:8 “8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.”

Hold the rod: the symbol and reminder of the power of God

Yahweh tells Moses to speak to the rock and he would give them water. He would show them mercy and grace this time instead of judgement.

Numbers 20:10–11 “10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? 11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.”

Moses was almost to the finish line. The Lord had brought him a long way from killing an Egyptian. Even this time (like all the others) when the people started murmuring, he had bowed and prayed to intercede for the people and shield them from the wrath of God. He had asked Yahweh to spare the people when God was going to kill them all and start over with Moses.

Here he had been faithful when everyone else was running away. Now he had had enough!

Where did he go wrong?

Rebelled against the Word of God:

He spoke to them when God had told him to speak to the rock

He struck the rock instead of speaking

He rebelled against the Spirit of God:

Psalm 106:32–33 “32 They angered him (God) also at the waters of strife (Meribah), so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes: 33 Because they provoked (rebelled against) his spirit, so that he (Moses) spake unadvisedly (rashly) with his lips.”

He lost his temper:

James 1:20 “20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”

He sinned publicly before the children of God

Numbers 20:12–13 “12 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. 13 This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.”

He doubted God

Encounter with Edom

Numbers 20:14–21 KJV

14 And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us: 15 How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers: 16 And when we cried unto the LORD, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border: 17 Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king’s high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders. 18 And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword. 19 And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing any thing else, go through on my feet. 20 And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand. 21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.

Numbers 20:14 “14 And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us:”

Genesis 25:30 “30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.” Edom means “red”

Keep this encounter in mind. In Chapter 31 God deals with the Midianites very differently.

Death of Aaron

Numbers 20:22–29 KJV

22 And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh, and came unto mount Hor. 23 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying, 24 Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah. 25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor: 26 And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there. 27 And Moses did as the LORD commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 28 And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount. 29 And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.

God promised no one over twenty makes it in Canaan. The death of Miriam showed us and the people leadership didn’t get a pass. Now Aaron’s time has come

Numbers 20:24 “24 Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah.”

“gathered unto his people” describes a central Old Testament conviction about life after death, that in Sheol, the place of the dead, people will be reunited with other members of their family.

The high priest was the supreme mediator between God and Israel: the dignity of his office was expressed in the magnificence of his vestments.

In a real sense the life of the nation was contingent on his carrying out his duties faithfully. Thus the death of a high priest marked the end of an era.

Chapter 28 Sacrifices

the central concern of chapters 28-29 prescribes the type and number of sacrifices that must be offered on every day of the year by the priests for the nation as a whole.

Chapter 28 outlines the regulations for daily, Sabbath, monthly, Passover, and Feast of Weeks offerings to be made to Yahweh. It emphasizes the importance of offering these sacrifices without blemish and in specific quantities. It also highlights the need for a holy convocation and the prohibition of laborious work on certain days. The offerings are described as a soothing aroma to Yahweh and are to be made in addition to the continual burnt offerings.

Chapter 29 The Seventh Month

Chapter 29 describes the various offerings to be made in the seventh month. The first ten days of the seventh month are a penitential season that culminate in the day of atonement, we learned about in Leviticus 16. The chapter outlines a detailed schedule of offerings to be made on specific days of the seventh month, emphasizing the importance of following these rituals and offerings as prescribed by Yahweh. During the feast of tabernacles more bulls and rams, the most valuable sacrificial animals, were sacrificed than in the whole of the rest of the year. In this way the priests expressed in the service, the joy of the whole nation for all God’s mercies both spiritual and temporal

Chapter 30 Vows

Chapter 30 of the text discusses the statutes for vows as commanded by Yahweh to Moses. It outlines rules for men and women making vows to Yahweh, including the importance of keeping one's word. The chapter also addresses scenarios where a woman's vows may be affected by her father's or husband's actions, emphasizing the significance of their approval or disapproval. The text specifies that vows made by widows or divorced women stand against them, and it concludes by highlighting the statutes regarding vows between a man and his wife, and a father and his daughter while she is in her father's house.

Chapter 31 Judgement on the Midianites (Num 25:1-13)

Numbers 25:1–3 “1 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. 2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. 3 And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.”

In Chapter 31 of Numbers, Yahweh commands Moses to take vengeance on the Midianites. Moses sends one thousand men from each tribe of Israel to war, led by Phinehas the priest. The Israelites kill all the males of Midian, including their kings and the prophet Balaam. They capture the women, children, and livestock, plunder the goods, and burn the cities. Moses instructs to kill all male children and women who have known a man intimately, but to spare the young girls. The soldiers are purified after the battle. The loot is divided between the warriors and the congregation, with a portion given to the Levites. The remaining plunder includes sheep, cattle, donkeys, and human captives. Moses follows Yahweh's instructions on how to distribute the loot and the contributions to Yahweh. The officers report that no men were lost in battle and offer gold as atonement. Moses and Eleazar collect the gold and use it to make a memorial before Yahweh. The chapter concludes with the total amount of gold collected and the acknowledgment of the plunder taken by the men of war.

Chapter 32 Reuben and Gad Ask for Pasture

In Chapter 32, the sons of Reuben and Gad, who had a large number of livestock, saw the land of Jazer and Gilead as suitable for their animals. They requested Moses and the leaders to allow them to settle there instead of crossing the Jordan. Moses reminded them of the consequences of discouraging the Israelites from entering the promised land in the past. The sons of Reuben and Gad agreed to leave their families and livestock in Gilead while they helped the other tribes conquer Canaan. Moses agreed to their plan, warning them of the consequences if they failed to fulfill their promise. The sons of Reuben and Gad, along with half of Manasseh, were given the kingdoms of Sihon and Og as their inheritance. They built cities and sheepfolds in the land.

Chapter 33 Recounting of the Journey

Chapter 33 of the book describes the journey of the sons of Israel from Egypt to Jordan under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. It details their travels from Rameses to various locations such as Succoth, Etham, Marah, and Elim, among others. The chapter lists the places where they camped and the challenges they faced, such as the lack of water at Rephidim. The text also mentions encounters with other groups like the Canaanites and provides instructions from Yahweh regarding possessing the land of Canaan. The Israelites are instructed to dispossess the current inhabitants, destroy their idols, and inherit the land by lot according to their families. Failure to do so would result in trouble for the Israelites. The chapter concludes with a warning that the fate of the inhabitants of the land will be mirrored in the fate of the Israelites if they do not follow these instructions.

Chapter 34 Land Distribution

Chapter 34 of the text discusses the apportioning of the land of Canaan among the tribes of Israel. It details the borders of the land for each tribe, including the southern, western, northern, and eastern borders. Moses conveys Yahweh's instructions to the Israelites regarding the division of the land. The text mentions the tribes that have already received their inheritance and the leaders appointed to oversee the distribution of land to the remaining tribes. The names of the leaders from each tribe are listed, emphasizing the importance of following Yahweh's commands in allocating the land among the tribes of Israel.

Chapter 35 Cities of Refuge

In Chapter 35, Yahweh instructs Moses to allocate cities to the Levites from the inheritance of the Israelites, along with pasture lands for their animals. These cities are designated as places of refuge for those who unintentionally cause harm, with specific rules for different scenarios of unintentional manslaughter. Six cities are to be set up as cities of refuge, three on each side of the Jordan River. The congregation will judge cases involving manslaughter, and the blood avenger is responsible for executing justice. The high priest's death marks the end of the period of refuge for the manslayer. The text emphasizes the importance of upholding justice and not defiling the land with bloodshed. It outlines the consequences for murderers and the regulations for those seeking refuge in these designated cities. These laws are to be followed for generations to maintain justice and prevent the pollution of the land where Yahweh dwells among the Israelites.

Chapter 36 Inheritance

Chapter 36 discusses the issue of inheritance through marriage among the sons of Israel. The heads of the families of Gilead approached Moses, stating that if daughters marry outside their tribe, their inheritance would be transferred. This chapter concludes with the commandments and judgments given to the sons of Israel by Yahweh through Moses in the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho.

Conclusion

The message of the Book of Numbers is universal and timeless. It reminds believers of the spiritual warfare in which they are engaged, for Numbers is the book of the service and walk of God’s people. The Book of Numbers essentially bridges the gap between the Israelites receiving the Law (Exodus and Leviticus) and preparing them to enter the Promised Land (Deuteronomy and Joshua).

The first 25 chapters of the book chronicle the experiences of the first generation of Israel in the wilderness, while the rest of the book describes the experiences of the second generation. The theme of obedience and rebellion followed by repentance and blessing runs through the entire book, as well as the entire Old Testament.

The holiness of God is continued from the book of Leviticus into the book of Numbers

Given as an example for us as children of God of how NOT to act: 1 Corinthians 10:4–11 “4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. 10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”

Numbers summed up in Romans 11:22 “22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.”

The severity of God is seen in the death of the rebellious generation in the wilderness, those who never entered the Promised Land. The goodness of God is realized in the new generation. God protected, preserved, and provided for these people until they possessed the land. This reminds us of the justice and love of God always in perfect harmony.