Numbers 20: Israel Contends; Moses Disobeys; Yet Yahweh Hallows Himself
1 Then the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there and was buried there. 2 Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. 3 And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! 4 Why have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? 5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.” 6 So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them.
I believe that this is a story of the next generation of Israelites- the ones who would inherit the earthly land of Canaan. “Miriam the prophetess dies; this character of testimony is closed. Israel grows old, so to speak, in the wilderness; and the voice which sang songs of triumph in coming up from the depths of the Red Sea is silent in the tomb.” (John Darby’s Synopsis)
And there was no water for the congregation… “There was at Kadesh a fountain, En-Mishpat (Ge 14:7), and at the first encampment of the Israelites there was no want of water.” (Jamieson, Faussett, and Brown) But now: “The same occurrence took place to the children of Israel at Kadesh, as did formerly to their fathers at Rephidim, see Exodus 17:1; and as the fathers murmured, so also did the children…” (Adam Clarke Commentary) So Moses and Aaron rightly went to the door of the tabernacle of meeting and the glory of Yahweh appeared to them. And “God directs them to the provision He had made against murmurings.” (John Darby’s Synopsis)
7 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.”
"Take the rod..." of your authority from Me, "with which he had done many wonders in Egypt, and at the Red sea, and in the wilderness, and particularly by smiting the rock at Horeb, when the Israelites wanted water, as they did now;" you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together; "not only the heads of the people, but the body of them, as many as could be got together to see the miracle, and to receive the benefit of it." (Gill's Exposition of the Bible)
"Speak to the rock before their eyes and it will yield its water..," "There is nothing to be done but to shew the sign of grace (of priesthood intervening on the part of God in the grace with which He has clothed His authority), and to speak the word, and the wants of the people shall be immediately supplied.” (John Darby’s Synopsis)
9 So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him. 10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”
“Moses… soured by the rebellion of the people,… speaks unadvisedly: ‘Must we fetch you water out of this rock?’ Before, it was ‘What are we that ye murmur against us?’ The rebellion of the people and the contempt of his authority have got a firmer hold on his mind than the intelligence of the grace of God; and he smites the rock with his rod…” (John Darby's Synopsis) In Exodus 17:6, Yahweh had told Moses to smite the rock, but now He commands him to speak to it only. “In 1 Corinthians 10:4, we read, ‘They drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.’ This is Plain and positive. It leaves no room whatever for the exercise of the imagination. ‘That Rock was Christ’ — Christ smitten for us... Now, this smiting could only take place once. It is never to be repeated. ‘Knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.’ (Romans 6:9-10) ‘But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.....so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many.' (Hebrews 9:26-27) ‘For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.’ (1 Peter 3:18.) There can be no repetition of the death of Christ; and hence Moses was wrong in smiting the rock twice with his rod — wrong in smiting it at all.” (C. H. Mackintosh's Notes on the Pentateuch)
“At the end of 37 years the Israelites returned to the wilderness of Zin and Kadesh. Kadesh included a large area of desert located on the edge of the wilderness of Zin. God had previously judged the older generation of Israelites for not believing Him (ch14). Now He judged Moses for the same thing. Miriam and Aaron also died in the wilderness for their sins. The leaders fell before the same temptation as the people…. The root of Moses’ sin in disobeying God ( Numbers 20:11) was unbelief ( Numbers 20:12). Quite clearly this was not a failure to believe that God could or would provide water for the people. Rather it was a failure to believe that simple obedience to God’s command was best (cf. Gen 4:1-7). In this, Moses acted as the older generation of Israelites had done since they left Egypt….‘Faith is the correct response to God's word, whether it is a word of promise or a word of command.’ [Note: G. Wenham, Numbers , p151.]” (Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable)
13 This was the water of Meribah, [Contention] because the children of Israel contended with the Lord, and He was hallowed among them.
"Moses was faithful in all his house" (Hebrews 3:5) But here he disobeyed in disbelief. “But Jehovah took care of His own glory. He sanctified Himself before the people; and, notwithstanding their rebellious murmurings, and Moses' sad mistake and failure, the congregation of the Lord received a gushing stream from the smitten rock.” (C. H. Mackintosh's Notes) I believe that Moses eventually gets to see the earthly land (Num 27:12), as a sign that he was forgiven and would one day inherit the Heavenly. Possession of the earthly has no bearing on inheritance of the Heavenly Land.
Numbers 20: Edom Refused to Help Israel- Their Brethren
14 Now Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. "Thus says your brother Israel: 'You know all the hardship that has befallen us, 15 how our fathers went down to Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers. 16 When we cried out to the Lord, He heard our voice and sent the Angel and brought us up out of Egypt; now here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your border. 17 Please let us pass through your country. We will not pass through fields or vineyards, nor will we drink water from wells; we will go along the King's Highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.'"
18 Then Edom said to him, "You shall not pass through my land, lest I come out against you with the sword." 19 So the children of Israel said to him, "We will go by the Highway, and if I or my livestock drink any of your water, then I will pay for it; let me only pass through on foot, nothing more." 20 Then he said, "You shall not pass through." So Edom came out against them with many men and with a strong hand. 21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so Israel turned away from him.
Moses sent ambassadors from Kadesh to the king of Edom to seek a passage through their land on the way to Canaan. The best route- the King's Highway- passed right through their country. They told him all about their recent hardships "to ingratiate themselves to the Edomites, and gain their request, pleading relation to them." (John Gill) But the king would not help them. "The Edomites feared to receive damage by the Israelites... Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing; and now the hatred revived [with his ancestors of Edom], when the blessing was about to be inherited." (Matthew Henry)
Jacob and Esau were twin sons to Rebecca and Isaac. They had the same mother and father; yet, God declared while they were yet in the womb, “'The older shall serve the younger,” (Genesis 25:23) thus "… Jacob's election was contrary to the right of primogeniture, because this circumstance proved it to be from pure favour." (Benson)
Note that it was not "the election of particular persons to eternal life, but of particular nations to outward church privileges, which duly used, through Christ, should be the means of bringing men to eternal life, and to higher degrees of glory therein than others should enjoy, who were not favoured with these privileges. Nor is God, the great Governor of the world, on this account, any more to be deemed a respecter of persons, than an earthly king, who takes some of his subjects for lords of his bed- chamber, and others for lower employments; since he will make them all, that behave well in their station, completely happy.'...." (Benson Commentary)
The older shall serve the younger- Jacob’s place was as a sort of high priest for all the families-- the patriarch. And Esau’s place was more on the line of the Levites, serving him. Jacob and Esau- both were Abraham's seed; both were Isaac's seed. And therefore both were invited to serve Him, before the priesthood turned over to Aaron's sons with the Levites as their helpers. Incidentally, soon after the death of Messiah, it transferred to anyone who trusts in Him for their salvation. A young child shall lead them. (Isaiah 11:6)
In trying to help the Romans understand God's recent election of the Gentiles, Paul taught: "And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her, 'The older shall serve the younger.'[Genesis 25:23], as it is written, 'Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.' [Malachi 1:2-3]" (Romans 9:10-13)
Paul quotes Genesis and Malachi, the first and the last Old Testament books, in defense of Yahweh’s election, indicating that this truth was timeless. We have discussed the former. The latter quote of Malachi- Malachi 1:2-3- was “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” J. Stuart Briscoe notes: "'hate' as opposed to 'love' is by no means as stark in New Testament usage as may first appear. The remark of the Lord about discipleship recorded in Luke 14:26, 'If any man hate not his father and mother... he cannot be my disciple' bears ample testimony to this fact." So, it can be translated that Yahweh gave Jacob the preferred position. He truly hates sin, but loves the sinner.
In our Reading from Numbers for today, we find the Edomites were still resenting Israel election and harboring bitterness… and still living in rebellion and not accepting a subordinate place in the sanctuary service. They served other gods, not seeking to join their brethren on the trip to the land which Yahweh promised them.
"Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated. 'I have loved you,’ says Yahweh. ‘Yet you say-[Israel says]: In what way have You loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother?' Yet Jacob I have loved; but Esau I have hated, and laid waste his mountains and his heritage for the jackals of the wilderness." (Mal 1:1-3) You laid waste to them; what will stop you from doing the same to us? Esau was a descendant of Abraham, but it did not seem that the Word of the LORD had an effect on him or his descendants. They had not learned the lesson of Esau that Yahweh had intended.
Esau found no place for repentance. And likewise, Edom responded, "We have been impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places." There is not one word of repentance or petition to the LORD in this proclamation. So, the LORD of hosts: "They may build, but I will throw down; they shall be called the Territory of Wickedness, and the people against whom the LORD will have indignation forever. Your eyes shall see, and you shall say, 'The LORD is magnified beyond the border of Israel.' A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My reverence?" (Mal 1:4-5)
“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.” (Hebrews 1214-17) Join me on the King’s Highway. We now have a tabernacle wherein is the mercy seat behind the veil in the most holy place. God's mercy and grace are still available. It can change everything. Yahweh hates sin-but for all of your sins, "His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still." (Isa 5:25 9:12, 17, 21; 10:4) Seek His forgiveness; and He promises: "I will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people."(Lev 26:12) And then resolve to make your calling and election sure. Don't seek the place that you want in the Church- that belongs to another, but rather seek Yahweh’s place for you, according to His election.
Numbers 20: Death of Aaron
22 Now the children of Israel, the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. 23 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying: 24 “Aaron shall be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against My word at the water of Meribah. 25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up to Mount Hor; 26 and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; for Aaron shall be gathered to his people and die there.” 27 So Moses did just as the Lord commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 28 Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 29 Now when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, all the house of Israel mourned for Aaron thirty days.
The children of Israel's journey took them to the border of the land of Edom in the wilderness, And there Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron saying: “Aaron shall be gathered to his people…” “Although the time of his death was hastened by the divine displeasure as a punishment for his sins, the manner of his death was arranged in tenderness of love, and to do him honor at the close of his earthly service. [Perhaps] his ascent of the mount was to afford him a last look of the camp and a distant prospect of the promised land." (Jamieson, Faussett, and Brown) But this is conjecture; the Holy Writ is silent in this matter and so must we be also. "Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people." (Genesis 25:8) And its seems that Aaron died in like fashion as his father Abraham. He was not perfect- a specific sin being mentioned here, and he too was "gathered to his people." But of this phrase- shall be gathered unto his people,.... That is, shall die, for this phrase is a periphrasis of death, and is used in common both of good and bad men, and designs death in general..." (Gill’s Exposition) We do not know of Aaron’s estate with certainty. He was part of the priesthood, even the high priest. This surely shows the inefficiency of the this priesthood and law of God to brings sons into subjection. Aaron awaits, with the common man, the ressurection and judgment of all mankind.
The reason for this punishment of early death was given- the incident at Mariah, in which Moses was also convicted of sin. “Hence, as Dr. Lightfoot has justly observed, we have an 'indisputable proof that the earthly Canaan was not the utmost felicity at which God's promises to the Israelites aimed since the best men among them were excluded from it.' The remark of some of the fathers here is worthy of attention: 'Neither Moses the representative of the law, nor Miriam the representative of the prophets, nor Aaron the representative of the priesthood and its sacrificial rites, could bring the Israelites into possession of the promised land. This was reserved for Joshua, who was in name and conduct the lively type of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.' He alone can bring those who believe in his name into that rest which remains for the people of God." (Adam Clarke Commentary)
Yahweh commanded and they executed this stripping of the gown. "This was, in effect, depriving him of his office; and putting the clothes on his son Eleazar implied a transfer of that office to him. A transfer of office, from this circumstance of putting the clothes of the late possessor on the person intended to succeed him, was called investing or investment, (clothing); as removing a person from an office was termed divesting or unclothing. Among the Catholics, and in the Church of England, this same method is used in degrading ecclesiastics. Hence such a degradation is termed by the common people stripping a man of his gown.” (Clarke's Commentary)
"And as the stripping of those garments was a divesting Aaron of his office, so it was a figure of the disannulling of his priesthood, when the Messiah should come, a priest after another order: and put them upon Eleazar His Son;.” (Gill’s Exposition)
and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. “A good man would desire, if it were the will of God, not to outlive his usefulness. Why should we covet to continue any longer in this world, than while we may do some service in it for God and our generation?” (Matthew Henry Commentary)Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.
All the house of Israel mourned for Aaron thirty days, “the time of publick and solemn mourning for great persons.” (Wesley) Aaron was a great man of his day. “Similarly,” in Jesus’ day, He said, “among those born of woman there's none greater than John the Baptist, but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” (Matthew 11:11) You must be born again to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. And thank you Jesus for the daily washing and regeneration of the Holy Spirit through Your Word!