Numbers 20 - 22

Numbers 20

Water From the Rock

Complaints again

In the first month the whole congregation of the children of Israel arrived at the desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.

Now there was no water for the congregation, and the people gathered themselves together against Moses and Aaron. They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD! Why did you bring the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here? Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this evil place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!”

Moses and Aaron went from the congregation to the door of the Tabernacle and fell upon their face, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. The LORD said to Moses, “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the congregation so they and their livestock can drink.”

So Moses took the staff from before the LORD, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the congregation together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the congregation and their livestock drank.

But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the children of Israel, you will not bring this congregation into the land I give them.”

This was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel quarreled with the LORD and He was sanctified in them.

Moses and Aaron were not allowed to go into the Promised Land because of their sin in disobeying God. Moses disobeyed a direct command from God. God commanded Moses to speak to the rock. Instead, he struck it with his staff. Second, Moses took credit for bringing forth the water. Notice: Moses says, “Must we, (referring to Moses and Aaron), bring you water out of this rock?” Moses took credit for the miracle himself, instead of giving the honor to God. Third, Moses committed this sin in front of all the children of Israel. Such a public example of direct disobedience could not go unpunished.

Edom Denies Israel Passage

Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying: “This is what your brother Israel says: You know about all the hardships that have come on us. How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we lived there many years. The Egyptians mistreated our fathers, and us, but when we cried out to the LORD, He heard our cry and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt.

“Now we are here at Kadesh, a city on the edge of your border. Please let us pass through your country. We will not go through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the King’s Highway and not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed by your borders.”

But Edom answered, “You may not pass through here; if you try, we will march out and attack you with the sword.”

And the children of Israel said, “We will go along the high way, and if we or our livestock drink any of your water, we will pay for it. We only want to pass through on foot, nothing else.”

Again they answered, “You may not pass through.”

Then Edom came out against them with a large and powerful army. Since Edom refused to let them pass through their borders, Israel turned away from them.

The Death of Aaron

The entire congregation of the children of Israel set out from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor.

At Mount Hor, near the coast land of Edom, the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Aaron will be gathered to his people. He will not enter the land I give the children of Israel, because both of you rebelled against my command at the water of Meribah.

Get Aaron and his son Eleazar and take them up Mount Hor.  Remove Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people, and shall die there.”

Moses did as the LORD commanded: and they went up Mount Hor in the sight of the entire congregation. Moses removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar. And Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.

And when the congregation learned that Aaron had died, the entire house of Israel mourned Aaron for thirty days.

Numbers 21

Arad Destroyed

When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the south, heard that Israel was coming as spies along the road to Atharim, he attacked Israel and took some of them prisoner.

Then Israel made a vow to the LORD, and said, “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy their cities.” The LORD listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites over to them. They completely destroyed them and their cities; and He called the name of the place Hormah.

The Brass Snake

They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people became very discouraged along the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable light bread!”

Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among them, and they bit the people and many died. The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray to the Lord that He will take the serpents away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

The LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and put it up on a pole, and it shall come to pass, that anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.”

So Moses made a serpent of brass and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a serpent and looked at the serpent of brass, they lived.

Son of man must be lifted up (see John 3:13 – 15)

John 3:13-15, “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. ¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: ¹⁵ That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Defeat of Sihon and Og

Israel sent messengers to say to Sihon king of the Amorites: “Let us pass through your country. We will not turn aside into any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the King’s Highway until we have passed through your borders.”

But Sihon would not permit Israel to pass through his border. He gathered his entire army and went out into the wilderness against Israel. When he reached Jahaz, he fought with Israel. Israel, however, put him to the sword and took over his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, but only as far as the Ammonites, because their border was strong.

And Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites and occupied them, including Heshbon and all its surrounding villages. For Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken from him all his land as far as Arnon.

So Israel settled in the land of the Amorites. After Moses had sent spies to Jazer, the Israelites captured its surrounding villages and drove out the Amorites who were there.

Then they turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan and all his people marched out to meet them in battle at Edrei.

The LORD said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his people and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.”

So they struck him down, together with his sons and all his people, leaving them no survivors. And they took possession of his land.

Numbers 22

Balak Summons Balaam

Then the children of Israel traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan across from Jericho.

And Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the children of Israel.

The Moab said to the elders of Midian, “This company is going to lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.”

So Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the Euphrates River, in his native land. Balak said: “A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me.”

“Come now, and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed.”

The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination. When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said.

“Spend the night here,” Balaam said to them, “and I will report back to you with the answer the LORD gives me.” So the Moabite princes stayed with him.

God came to Balaam and asked, “Who are these men with you?”

And Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: ‘A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.’”

But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.”

The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak’s princes, “Go back to your own country, for the LORD has refused to let me go with you.”

So the Moabite princes returned to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”

Then Balak sent more princes, more numerous and more honorable than the first. They came to Balaam and said, “This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Do not let anything keep you from coming to me, because I will reward you with great honor and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me.”

But Balaam answered them, “Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the LORD my God. Now spend the night here so that I can find out what more the LORD will tell me.”

That night God came to Balaam and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.”

Balaam’s Donkey

Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princess of Moab. But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a field. And Balaam beat her to make her get back on the road.

But the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again.

Then the angel of the LORD went further and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat her with his staff.

Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”

Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.”

The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?”  He said, “No.”

Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his sword drawn, then Balaam bowed down his heard, and fell flat on his face.

The angel of the LORD asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would have surely killed you by now, but I would have saved her.”

Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the way to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.”

The angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him in the city of Moab, which is on the border of Arnon.  Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn’t you come to me? Am I not able to promote you to honor?”

“Well, I have come to you now,” Balaam replied. “But I can’t say whatever I please. I must speak only what God puts in my mouth.”

Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath-huzoth.  Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and gave some to Balaam and the princes that were with him. The next morning Balak took Balaam up into the high places of Baal, and from there he could see the outskirts of the Israelite camp. (Notice: Balak sacrificed to Baal)