AM Bible Study Group; July 28, 2010

Numbers 20:1-26

Theme: This chapter describes some of the sorrows that the shepherds of the people of Israel suffered during their wilderness wanderings.

The Book of Numbers tells us very little about the thirty-eight years of the wandering of the people of Israel through the wilderness. In fact, this chapter gives us the story of what happened during the largest portion of them.

This is the third of the great journeys of the people of Israel. The first was concerning their Exodus (that is, from Egypt to Mt. Sinai). The second was the travel to the land (that is, from Sinai to Kadesh). And the third concerned the wanderings (that is, from the failure to take the land the first time to the eventual return thirty-eight years later). This third journey began with sorrow as the first generation died out; but it will end with victory as the second generation of the people finally entered to take the land God was giving them.

I. THE DEATH OF MIRIAM (v. 1).

A. This chapter begins with a report of the death of Miriam—the elder sister of Moses and Aaron. The four key appearances of Mariam in Scripture concern her watch-care over her infant brother Moses (Exodus 2), her song at the time of the deliverance of her people at the Red Sea (Exodus 15:20-21), her sad rebellion against Moses (Numbers 12), and finally her death in this verse. She was someone who—like many of the heroes of Scripture—had ups and downs.

B. Note that we’re told that her death occurred “in the first month”. Many have said that this speaks of a time much later in the wilderness journeys; and they base this on the idea that the month is mentioned but the number of years is omitted—which, because the chapter ends with Aaron’s death at the end of the time of wandering, is assumed to be the fortieth year after the exodus. But there’s really no reason to seek anything more than what the verse says; or to reject the idea that she died in the first month of the wilderness wanderings, as the people were leaving from their potential entry into the promised land and making their way to the wilderness of Zin. If this is the case, then chapter 20 covers the whole period of time of the wilderness wanderings. It was in Kadesh that Miriam was buried; because it would not be for another thirty-eight years that the people would enter the land.

II. THE DISOBEDIENCE OF MOSES AND AARON (vv. 2-13).

A. Miriam’s story had its ups and downs; but so did that of the other shepherds of the people. The story of Moses’ and Aaron’s failure began with the people complaining—again—about a lack of water (v. 2). This story has similarities to the event described in Exodus 17:1-7—at the very beginning of their journey.

B. Note the dreadful nature of the people’s complaint. Not only were they complaining about a wandering that their own disobedience brought about (vv. 4-5); but they dared to complain that it would have been better if they had died along with those (in chapter 16) who had died before the Lord in rebellion against Him (v. 3)!

C. This must have been hard for Moses and Aaron to take—who may have been grieving the loss of their sister at that time. They went up from before the people, and fell on their faces before the tabernacle of the Lord. In this, they did rightly—once again, turning to the Lord for guidance (v. 6).

D. The Lord gave them instructions, saying, “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” (v. 8). But they didn’t honor the Lord or obey Him. They spoke angrily at the people (see Psalm 106:32-33)—calling them rebels; said, “Must we bring water for you out of this rock?”—instead of pointing to the Lord; and struck the rock with the rod twice—instead of speaking to it as the Lord had said (v. 9-11).

E. God graciously gave the people water (v. 11). But the disobedience of Moses and Aaron was a serious matter. As 1 Corinthians 10:4 lets us know, that rock was a figure of Christ. And so, as a result of their disobedience, Moses and Aaron would not be permitted to enter the land of promise along with the second generation (v. 12; see Deuteronomy 34:4). Disobedience has consequences—and for leaders, the consequences are even more severe. We’re told, in verse 13, that this place—like the other in Exodus 17:7—was named after the rebellion of the people.

III. THE REFUSAL OF EDOM (vv. 14-21).

A. Verses 14-21 seem to take us up to the time when the second generation begins to make its way toward the promised land (see Deuteronomy 2:1-7). As they came to the southern portion of the area around the Dead Sea, they came to the homeland of the descendants of Jacob’s brother Esau. But the Edomites (as they were called) would not let them pass through their land (see Judges 11:16-18).

B. As we’ll see in chapter 21, other kings and their kingdoms who opposed Israel were conquered. But God would not permit Israel to conquer her brethren. It may be that the Israelites were being despised by the Edomites because they had been slaves in Egypt. Or it may be because the Israelites were asking to pass through the land to take possession of the birthright that the father of the Edomites had willingly traded away to Jacob (Genesis 25:29-32). Perhaps Esau’s resentment toward his brother (Genesis 27:41), though later quieted in his own heart (Genesis 33-34), still ran deep in his descendent’s.

IV. THE DEATH OF AARON (vv. 22-29).

A. These closing verses tell us the story of what happened forty years after the exodus (see Numbers 33:38). Because of Aaron’s disobedience, God commanded Moses to take Aaron and his son Eleazar up to Mount Hor (a location unknown to us), remove Aaron’s priestly robes from him and place them on Eleazar. It would be then that Aaron would die; and it would defile the priesthood for Aaron to die with the priestly robes still on him. Because of his part in the disobedience before the rock, Aaron would not be permitted to enter the land.

B. What a sight that must have been to the people! Moses, Aaron and Eleazar went up; but only Moses and Eleazar came down. Clearly, God had established that it would now be Eleazar that would serve the priesthood in his father’s place. But in spite of this, Aaron was still honored; because after he died, the people mourned for thirty days (v. 29).