Numbers Chapter 20
Deuteronomy 8:2
God had a mighty plan for the Israelites as He brought them out of bondage in Egypt to lead them to Canaan, the Promised Land. But because of unbelief and disobedience, they wandered for 40 years and many of them died in the wilderness. They never reached the Promised Land that the Lord had given them. In this chapter, we will see the tragedy of unbelief, disobedience, and complaining and rebelling against God's chosen leaders. But, let us not be too quick to judge the Israelites. You have not been in their shoes. The desert was a terrible place. Burning hot during the day and cold at night. This was an extremely difficult journey. Nevertheless, in 1st Corinthians 10:6,11, Paul said these things happened to them as examples for us. Let us learn from them as we study this chapter 20 of the book of Numbers.
20:1 The wilderness of Zin. There were several named wilderness areas. One of them was the wilderness of Sin. Marah and Elim were in this area. Sin is a wilderness area for sure. Sin will take you farther than you want to go. It will keep you longer than you want to stay. It will cost you a whole lot more than you want to pay! Do not go there. Follow the Lord! The chapter starts with death. Miriam died there in the wilderness. In Numbers 12 Aaron and Miriam challenged Moses as the Lord's appointed leader. She became leprous for seven days. Later on, she did not stand with Caleb and Joshua and Moses and Aaron when they wanted to take Canaan for a possession. She was in doubt and was disobedient. Aaron her brother actually made a golden calf for the people to worship. Exodus 32:4. When Moses saw it he smashed the first copy of the 10 commandments on the ground. Most commentators agree that the calf was similar to a deity in Egypt. Remember, the Israelites were there for 400 years. A lot of influence from Egyptian culture. God led them out of Egypt, but He had a difficult time getting Egypt out of them! Let us never go back to Egypt or the wilderness of Sin.
2 They assembled themselves against their leaders. They still had no faith in what the Lord could do or in His plan for them. God did mighty miracles in Egypt, at the Red Sea, Marah, and the rock of Horeb. Do you remember what the Lord has done for you? Write it down. Journal it. Do not forget. In Numbers 14:22,23 the Lord said the people tested Him. Let us not test Him. Follow Him in faith and obedience. He will take you to your Canaan land.
3 They contended with Moses. Since Moses was chosen by God, they were contending with the Lord. Numbers 14:1,2. Be careful how you talk about the Lord's leaders. I have not done a very good job at this in the past! There is a right way to approach certain situations. This is not it! They would rather perish than follow God. Really? Numbers 16:8-10, 31-33. Their eyes were on themselves and not God.
4,5 Poor Moses! If they were obedient, they would have already been in the land God had promised them. It WAS a land with seed, figs, vines, pomegranates, and water. They should have by faith entered into the land. They should have followed God's appointed leaders. Instead, they wandered and perished far short of what the Lord had promised them and their children.
6 Moses and Aaron fell on their faces. The intercessors for their people. This is what a leader and shepherd does for his people. The Lord showed up. Whenever the people rose up and grumbled against Moses and Aaron, the Lord showed up. He cares about His people and His leaders. Also, we can see a crowd mentality here. Stay away from crowds and protests. As we have seen in our nation in the last year, they can quickly become dangerous and counterproductive.
7,8 In Exodus 17:6 Moses struck the rock of Horeb and water came out. Here the Lord says to speak to the rock in front of the congregation so they can witness what He is going to do. It is important that He is letting His leader have a part in this miracle. The Lord is so patient! After years of disobedience, complaining, and failing the test, He still wants to prove Himself before His people. He wants to prove Himself to you and His people these days too. Are you giving Him the opportunity to do this in your life? Remember, this is in the wilderness, in our most difficult times. Now, it is one thing to bring water from clouds, or up from the ground. But it is quite another to bring water out of a rock. A mighty miracle by a mighty God. The rock also represents Jesus the rock, the cornerstone, the foundation of our faith. God struck Jesus on the cross and the waters of salvation flowed forth to all the people that would drink of it. Praise the Lord! In the midst of all the sin, rebellion, blasphemy, violence, corruption, and decadence, God struck Jesus and freely gave living water to all those that thirst. Hallelujah! What a good God!
9,10 What a scene this is! Moses took the rod and gathered the assembly. Was Moses angry? Yes! Why? The peoples complaining and disobedience. This is very important for us. Are you putting stress on your leader? A terrible example for us. He said to them, Listen now you rebels, shall WE bring forth water for you out of this rock?
11 Moses struck the rock twice and water came forth ABUNDANTLY and the congregation and the beasts drank. How many people and beasts were there? Maybe two million people and thousands of animals. A very large amount of both. Even though Moses was disobedient in how he did this, water still came forth. This was because of God's grace and concern for His people.
12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring the assembly into the land which I HAVE given them. Moses, in his anger, took the glory from God and was disobedient before Him and the people. God should always get the glory. He treated the Lord with disrespect. Did he believe the water would come out of the rock without striking it? This was serious business. God does not play games. Can you imagine after all those years and trials and tribulations and wars, not being able to enter the Promised Land? This was a very strict discipline!
13 The waters of Meribah, or contention. He proved Himself holy among them by the miracle and judgment. HE IS HOLY! We cannot comprehend His holiness. Oh, how the church today needs a glimpse of the holiness of God.
14-21 The story of Israel leaving Egypt. No favor with Edom. Was this because of their disobedience? I believe it is possible. They then had to take a longer route to Canaan through the wilderness.
22-24 They came to Mount Hor and the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron. Aaron shall be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land which I HAVE given to the sons of Israel, because YOU rebelled against My command at the waters of Meribah. The Lord put the blame directly on Moses. How hard this situation must have been. I'm sure Moses was already devastated knowing he would not enter the Promised Land. Yes, the Lord has a love for His children we cannot completely understand, but He is also just. He has to be. A hard lesson for Moses and Aaron. Let us learn from it. In the midst of adversity and difficulties, we must still trust God, honor Him in front of His people and the world, as we head to our promised land that He has called us to. In a way, Moses and Aaron plotted their own course. It did not end up well.
25-28 Take Aaron and his son to Mount Hor so Eleazar could take over the priesthood.
They went up to Mount Hor. This must have been a very solemn climb. I wonder what they talked about on the way to Aaron's death. How strange it must have been for Aaron to know he was going to die at the end of this walk. Jesus carried His cross up to Calvary to die too. Eleazar put on the priestly garments and Aaron died there.
29 The house of Israel wept for thirty days. How sad. The chapter begins with Miriam's death and ends with the death of Aaron. In between Moses is told that He will not enter the Promised Land. He also lost his brother and sister in a very short time. This was an extremely hard lesson and experience for Moses and the people. Let us take it to heart and learn from it what we can and really, what we must learn from it. Was this the last we heard of Moses? No! He did not give up on God. He kept going and raised up Joshua to take his place and to accomplish the Lord's plan for His people. He later appeared with Elijah and Jesus on the mount of transfiguration! How wonderful is that? Let us learn from this too. God disciplines those He loves.
THINGS TO CONSIDER
Chapter 20 and all the book of Numbers is a picture of our lives today as followers of Jesus. He has a mighty plan for our lives too. Do you believe that? Are you being obedient to what He has called you to do? Or, are you wandering in the wilderness of unbelief and disobedience? God will let you wander! Life is too short to spend time wandering in the wilderness. The world and our nation is falling apart at the seams. Much of this is the church's fault. In faith, it is time to seek His will, and in obedience, it is time to let Him lead us to the promised land He has given to each of us. It is ours for the taking. It is your inheritance and your future legacy. Will you let the Holy Spirit lead you there, or will you perish in the desert? Our true fulfillment comes from following the Lord in faith and obedience. If you need help in finding the Lord's plan for your life, please let us know. We would love to talk to you and to help you find the way to your promised land.
Is your life a wilderness without God? Are you wandering through life with no direction? God has made a way out of the wilderness. His name is Jesus! He said I am THE WAY and the truth and the life. Give Him your heart and life today. It will begin a great journey to the life and land He has for you.
God had a mighty plan for the Israelites as He brought them out of bondage in Egypt to lead them to Canaan, the Promised Land. But because of unbelief and disobedience, they wandered for 40 years and many of them died in the wilderness. They never reached the Promised Land that the Lord had given them. In this chapter, we will see the tragedy of unbelief, disobedience, and complaining and rebelling against God's chosen leaders. But, let us not be too quick to judge the Israelites. You have not been in their shoes. The desert was a terrible place. Burning hot during the day and cold at night. This was an extremely difficult journey. Nevertheless, in 1st Corinthians 10:6,11, Paul said these things happened to them as examples for us. Let us learn from them as we study this chapter 20 of the book of Numbers.
20:1 The wilderness of Zin. There were several named wilderness areas. One of them was the wilderness of Sin. Marah and Elim were in this area. Sin is a wilderness area for sure. Sin will take you farther than you want to go. It will keep you longer than you want to stay. It will cost you a whole lot more than you want to pay! Do not go there. Follow the Lord! The chapter starts with death. Miriam died there in the wilderness. In Numbers 12 Aaron and Miriam challenged Moses as the Lord's appointed leader. She became leprous for seven days. Later on, she did not stand with Caleb and Joshua and Moses and Aaron when they wanted to take Canaan for a possession. She was in doubt and was disobedient. Aaron her brother actually made a golden calf for the people to worship. Exodus 32:4. When Moses saw it he smashed the first copy of the 10 commandments on the ground. Most commentators agree that the calf was similar to a deity in Egypt. Remember, the Israelites were there for 400 years. A lot of influence from Egyptian culture. God led them out of Egypt, but He had a difficult time getting Egypt out of them! Let us never go back to Egypt or the wilderness of Sin.
2 They assembled themselves against their leaders. They still had no faith in what the Lord could do or in His plan for them. God did mighty miracles in Egypt, at the Red Sea, Marah, and the rock of Horeb. Do you remember what the Lord has done for you? Write it down. Journal it. Do not forget. In Numbers 14:22,23 the Lord said the people tested Him. Let us not test Him. Follow Him in faith and obedience. He will take you to your Canaan land.
3 They contended with Moses. Since Moses was chosen by God, they were contending with the Lord. Numbers 14:1,2. Be careful how you talk about the Lord's leaders. I have not done a very good job at this in the past! There is a right way to approach certain situations. This is not it! They would rather perish than follow God. Really? Numbers 16:8-10, 31-33. Their eyes were on themselves and not God.
4,5 Poor Moses! If they were obedient, they would have already been in the land God had promised them. It WAS a land with seed, figs, vines, pomegranates, and water. They should have by faith entered into the land. They should have followed God's appointed leaders. Instead, they wandered and perished far short of what the Lord had promised them and their children.
6 Moses and Aaron fell on their faces. The intercessors for their people. This is what a leader and shepherd does for his people. The Lord showed up. Whenever the people rose up and grumbled against Moses and Aaron, the Lord showed up. He cares about His people and His leaders. Also, we can see a crowd mentality here. Stay away from crowds and protests. As we have seen in our nation in the last year, they can quickly become dangerous and counterproductive.
7,8 In Exodus 17:6 Moses struck the rock of Horeb and water came out. Here the Lord says to speak to the rock in front of the congregation so they can witness what He is going to do. It is important that He is letting His leader have a part in this miracle. The Lord is so patient! After years of disobedience, complaining, and failing the test, He still wants to prove Himself before His people. He wants to prove Himself to you and His people these days too. Are you giving Him the opportunity to do this in your life? Remember, this is in the wilderness, in our most difficult times. Now, it is one thing to bring water from clouds, or up from the ground. But it is quite another to bring water out of a rock. A mighty miracle by a mighty God. The rock also represents Jesus the rock, the cornerstone, the foundation of our faith. God struck Jesus on the cross and the waters of salvation flowed forth to all the people that would drink of it. Praise the Lord! In the midst of all the sin, rebellion, blasphemy, violence, corruption, and decadence, God struck Jesus and freely gave living water to all those that thirst. Hallelujah! What a good God!
9,10 What a scene this is! Moses took the rod and gathered the assembly. Was Moses angry? Yes! Why? The peoples complaining and disobedience. This is very important for us. Are you putting stress on your leader? A terrible example for us. He said to them, Listen now you rebels, shall WE bring forth water for you out of this rock?
11 Moses struck the rock twice and water came forth ABUNDANTLY and the congregation and the beasts drank. How many people and beasts were there? Maybe two million people and thousands of animals. A very large amount of both. Even though Moses was disobedient in how he did this, water still came forth. This was because of God's grace and concern for His people.
12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring the assembly into the land which I HAVE given them. Moses, in his anger, took the glory from God and was disobedient before Him and the people. God should always get the glory. He treated the Lord with disrespect. Did he believe the water would come out of the rock without striking it? This was serious business. God does not play games. Can you imagine after all those years and trials and tribulations and wars, not being able to enter the Promised Land? This was a very strict discipline!
13 The waters of Meribah, or contention. He proved Himself holy among them by the miracle and judgment. HE IS HOLY! We cannot comprehend His holiness. Oh, how the church today needs a glimpse of the holiness of God.
14-21 The story of Israel leaving Egypt. No favor with Edom. Was this because of their disobedience? I believe it is possible. They then had to take a longer route to Canaan through the wilderness.
22-24 They came to Mount Hor and the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron. Aaron shall be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land which I HAVE given to the sons of Israel, because YOU rebelled against My command at the waters of Meribah. The Lord put the blame directly on Moses. How hard this situation must have been. I'm sure Moses was already devastated knowing he would not enter the Promised Land. Yes, the Lord has a love for His children we cannot completely understand, but He is also just. He has to be. A hard lesson for Moses and Aaron. Let us learn from it. In the midst of adversity and difficulties, we must still trust God, honor Him in front of His people and the world, as we head to our promised land that He has called us to. In a way, Moses and Aaron plotted their own course. It did not end up well.
25-28 Take Aaron and his son to Mount Hor so Eleazar could take over the priesthood.
They went up to Mount Hor. This must have been a very solemn climb. I wonder what they talked about on the way to Aaron's death. How strange it must have been for Aaron to know he was going to die at the end of this walk. Jesus carried His cross up to Calvary to die too. Eleazar put on the priestly garments and Aaron died there.
29 The house of Israel wept for thirty days. How sad. The chapter begins with Miriam's death and ends with the death of Aaron. In between Moses is told that He will not enter the Promised Land. He also lost his brother and sister in a very short time. This was an extremely hard lesson and experience for Moses and the people. Let us take it to heart and learn from it what we can and really, what we must learn from it. Was this the last we heard of Moses? No! He did not give up on God. He kept going and raised up Joshua to take his place and to accomplish the Lord's plan for His people. He later appeared with Elijah and Jesus on the mount of transfiguration! How wonderful is that? Let us learn from this too. God disciplines those He loves.
THINGS TO CONSIDER
Chapter 20 and all the book of Numbers is a picture of our lives today as followers of Jesus. He has a mighty plan for our lives too. Do you believe that? Are you being obedient to what He has called you to do? Or, are you wandering in the wilderness of unbelief and disobedience? God will let you wander! Life is too short to spend time wandering in the wilderness. The world and our nation is falling apart at the seams. Much of this is the church's fault. In faith, it is time to seek His will, and in obedience, it is time to let Him lead us to the promised land He has given to each of us. It is ours for the taking. It is your inheritance and your future legacy. Will you let the Holy Spirit lead you there, or will you perish in the desert? Our true fulfillment comes from following the Lord in faith and obedience. If you need help in finding the Lord's plan for your life, please let us know. We would love to talk to you and to help you find the way to your promised land.
Is your life a wilderness without God? Are you wandering through life with no direction? God has made a way out of the wilderness. His name is Jesus! He said I am THE WAY and the truth and the life. Give Him your heart and life today. It will begin a great journey to the life and land He has for you.
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