Re-affirming Gods Authority
and those whom He designates!
The Great Plague is over. It’s time to resolve the issue that created the problem:
We concluded our lesson last time with this scripture:
(Num 16:49) Now those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died in the Korah incident. {50} So Aaron returned to Moses at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, for the plague had stopped.
God’s next step is to re-affirm the authority He has given to Aaron.
(Num 17 NKJV) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: {2} "Speak to the children of Israel, and get from them a rod from each father's house, all their leaders according to their fathers' houses; twelve rods. Write each man's name on his rod.
(Num 17:3) "And you shall write Aaron's name on the rod of Levi. For there shall be one rod for the head of each father's house. {4} "Then you shall place them in the tabernacle of meeting before the Testimony, where I meet with you. {5} "And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, which they make against you."
So the purpose here is very clear:
God wants to re-affirm the authority that He has given to Aaron.
Symbolism: Types and anti-types!
Jesus is our High Priest.
God gave Jesus all authority:
(Mat 28:18 NKJV) And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”
Aaron’s authority was rejected.
Jesus authority was rejected.
The people suffered the plague because they rejected Aaron.
Jerusalem was destroyed because the Jews rejected Jesus and would not repent and turn to Him. How do we know this?
(Luke 19:41-44 NKJV) Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, {42} saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. {43} "For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, {44} "and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation."
In the days of Moses, they rejected Moses and Aaron and wandered till they died or were killed in the plague.
In the days of Christ, they rejected Him and they and their children died in the horrors of the destruction of Jerusalem.
Back to Numbers 17
(Num 17:6) So Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and each of their leaders gave him a rod apiece, for each leader according to their fathers' houses, twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. {7} And Moses placed the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness. {8} Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds. {9} Then Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod. {10} And the LORD said to Moses, "Bring Aaron's rod back before the Testimony, to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put their complaints away from Me, lest they die." {11} Thus did Moses; just as the LORD had commanded him, so he did.
The next two verses are still part of Numbers 17, but they express thoughts more directly connected with Numbers 16:
(Num 17:12) So the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, "Surely we die, we perish, we all perish! {13} "Whoever even comes near the tabernacle of the LORD must die. Shall we all utterly die?"
These people have some strange extremes:
First they claim that they are all holy:
(Num 16:3 NKJV) They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?"
Then they saw the demonstration of the wrath of God, and what is their conclusion:
(Num 17:13) "Whoever even comes near the tabernacle of the LORD must die.
Clearly these are people who do not know God! They don’t know His judgment and wrath!
They don’t know His love, mercy and forgiveness!
They don’t understand faith in God and thankfulness to Him for His provisions.
They simply do not know God!
Here is God’s will in the matter:
(Num 18:1-3 NKJV) Then the LORD said to Aaron: "You and your sons and your father's house with you shall bear the iniquity related to the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity associated with your priesthood. {2} "Also bring with you your brethren of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be joined with you and serve you while you and your sons are with you before the tabernacle of witness. {3} "They shall attend to your needs and all the needs of the tabernacle; but they shall not come near the articles of the sanctuary and the altar, lest they die; they and you also.
(Num 18:4) "They shall be joined with you and attend to the needs of the tabernacle of meeting, for all the work of the tabernacle; but an outsider shall not come near you. . . .{7} the outsider who comes near shall be put to death."
So things are spelled out pretty clearly as to who is to be at the altar, and who is not, and what the consequences will be if this is violated.
Numbers 19:
The Ordinance of the Red heifer
Some say the Jews are in search of a strain of Red heifers so they can re-establish animal sacrifices. I will not get into that here.
There are many other laws about cleansing in this chapter which I will not deal with here.
Numbers 20 -- 1. Miriam dies
(Num 20:1 NKJV) 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.
|
|
ß This is the Wilderness of Zin where Miriam died. It is literally the beginning of the end of the line for the leaders who brought them out of Egypt
|
Which verse of their song are they singing now?
(Num 20:2-8 NKJV) 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?
(Num 20:5) "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. {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."
This time, it is Moses who buckles!
Their murmuring and complaining has gotten to him—he fails!
(Num 20:9-11 NKJV) So Moses took the rod from before the LORD as He commanded him.
So far so good, but then:
(Num 20:10) 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.
All is well that ends well, right? Well, this isn’t the end!
(Num 20:12-13 NKJV) 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." {13} This was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the LORD, and He was hallowed among them.
Is this it? Is this the end of the line for Moses?
Sad to say, the answer is “Yes, it is the end.”
This time it was Moses who crossed the line, and there was no way to undo the wrong.
(Deu 3:23-27 NKJV) [Moses speaking] "Then I pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying: {24} 'O Lord GOD, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds? {25} 'I pray, let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, those pleasant mountains, and Lebanon.'
{26} "But the LORD was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me.
So the LORD said to me: 'Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter.
{27} 'Go up to the top of Pisgah, and lift your eyes toward the west, the north, the south, and the east; behold it with your eyes, for you shall not cross over this Jordan.
Why so emphatic? Why so important?
Why was God so harsh?
(1 Cor 10:4 NKJV) . . .For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
On one other occasion, Moses had struck the rock:
(Exo 17:6 NKJV) "Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
Having said all of that, there is nothing in scripture that I know that really supports the idea that this is why Moses was denied entrance into the promised land.
We do have the statement of scripture:
(Num 20:12 NKJV) 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."
Aaron was evidently condemned as an accomplice. He did nothing to stop him.
Bible Study with Harley My Sunday Evening Lessons