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Numbers
Chapter 20
{Note:
This is an elapse of 40 years since the first Meribah incident of
Exodus 17.}
1~~Then
came the children of Israel,
even
the whole congregation,
into
the desert of Zin/Tsin
in
the first month.
And
the people abode in Kadesh.
And
Miriam {Moses' sister} died there,
and
was buried there.
2a~~And
there was no water for the congregation.
{Note:
This is the same 'lack of water' test given to the people of Israel
40 years before. Will they trust in God to deliver them or not.}
2b~~And
they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
3-5~~And
the people "meribah'ed"/ contended/chided with Moses,
{the place here is Meribah which means contention}
and
spoke, saying,
"If
only that {luw'} . . .
that
we had died
when
our brethren died
before
Jehovah/God! 4~~
{idiom - we would say 'I wish I were dead!' - they really do not
mean it they are just mad and frustrated and upset}
And
why have you
caused
to be brought up
the
congregation of Jehovah/God
into
this desert,
that
we and our cattle should die there? 5~~
And
why have you made us to come up out of Egypt,
to
bring us in unto this evil place?
{remember this is God's will yet they call it an 'evil place'}
It
is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates.
{these men were children under 20 when they left Egypt but they
still remember
the details of life in Egypt or remember their parents reminiscing
about the nice things in Egypt}
Neither
is there any water to drink."
6~~And
Moses and Aaron went
from
the presence of the assembly
unto
the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,
and
they fell upon their faces.
And
the glory of Jehovah/God appeared unto them.
7-8~~And
Jehovah/God spoke unto Moses, saying, 8a~~
"Take
the rod
{this is Aaron's rod that budded here -
this is not the rod of judgment, but Aaron's rod of blessing},
and
gather you the assembly together,
you,
and Aaron your brother,
and
speak you unto the 'high elevated rock' {cela`}
before
their eyes."
{Note: VERY important here - Moses was told to SPEAK to the rock NOT to strike the rock here! The 'rock' is Jesus Christ. In the first Meribah situation (Exodus 17:6), that was a picture of His 1st Advent and Moses was told to 'strike' the rock. Here, it was a picture of His 2nd Advent and in His Resurrection body you do not strike Him, you speak to Him. This will turn into Moses' great sin for which he could not enter the land.}
8b~~"And
it shall give forth his water,
and
you will bring forth to them water
out
of the 'high elevated rock' {cela`}. . .
so
you will give the congregation and their animals/beasts drink."
9~~And
Moses took the 'rod in the presence of Jehovah/God' . . .
as
He commanded him.
10~~
And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation
together
before the 'high elevated rock' {cela`},
and
he said unto them,
"Hear
now, you rebels/'contentious ones' {marah} . . .
must
we fetch you water out of this 'high elevated rock' {cela`}?"
{Note:
God did not tell him to chew out the people and call them names.
And, Moses and Aaron are the 'we' here. Moses is NOT making it clear
that the glory is the Lord's!}
11a~~And
Moses lifted up his hand,
and
with his rod he struck the 'high elevated rock' {cela`}
twice
{apparently nothing happened the first time he hit it}.
{Note:
This was the great sin of Moses. He was commanded to speak to the
rock, but he struck the rock instead! The rock now represented Jesus
Christ in His 2nd Advent and He should not be struck this time.}
11b~~And
the water came out abundantly,
and
the congregation drank,
and
their animals/beasts also.
{Note:
This is the GRACE of God. Moses made a mistake, but the people are
not to suffer here. God gave the people water though Moses sinned.}
12~~And
Jehovah/God spoke unto Moses and Aaron,
"Because
you believed Me not . . .
{his act of striking the rock instead of speaking to is was an act of
unbelief - he did not 'believe' what God told him to do}
to
sanctify/'set apart' Me
in
the eyes of the children of Israel,
therefore
you shall not bring this congregation
into
the land which I have given them.
{Note:
Notice that God tells Moses and Aaron that they had failed God. It
was the striking of the rock. Neither Moses or Aaron would be
permitted to enter the promised land.}
13~~This
is the water of Meribah/'Contention' . . .
because
the children of Israel strove with Jehovah/God,
and
He was sanctified/'set apart' in them.
14
And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom,
"Thus
says your brother Israel,
You
know all the travail that has befallen us.
15
How our fathers went down into Egypt,
and
we have dwelt in Egypt a long time
and
the Egyptians persecuted/injured/vexed {ra`a`} us,
and
our fathers.
16
And when we cried unto Jehovah/God,
He
heard our voice,
and
sent an angel,
and
has brought us forth out of Egypt.
And,
behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of your border.
17
Let us pass, please/'I pray you',
through
your country.
We
will not pass through the fields,
or
through the vineyards,
neither
will we drink of the water of the wells.
We
will go by the king's high way,
we
will not turn to the right hand nor to the left,
until
we have passed your borders.
18
And Edom said unto him,
"You
will not pass by me,
lest
I come out against you with the sword."
19
And the children of Israel said unto him,
"We
will go by the high way
and
if I and my cattle drink of your water,
then
I will pay for it.
I
will only, without doing any thing else, go through on my feet.
20
And he said,
"You
will not go through."
And
Edom came out against him with a large army,
and
with 'a strong hand'/'great strength'.
21
Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border,
therefore
Israel turned away from him.
22
And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation,
journeyed
from Kadesh, and came unto mount Hor.
23
And Jehovah/God spoke unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor,
by
the coast of the land of Edom, saying, 24
"Aaron
shall be gathered unto his people . . .
for
he shall not enter into the land
which
I have given unto the children of Israel,
because
you marah/contended/rebelled
{noun of the verb - Meribah}
against
My Word at the water of Meribah.
25
Take Aaron and Eleazar his son,
and
bring them up unto mount Hor.
26
And strip Aaron of his garments,
and
put them upon Eleazar his son.
And
Aaron shall be gathered unto his people,
and
shall die there.
27
And Moses did as Jehovah/God commanded.
And
they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.
28
And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments,
and
put them upon Eleazar his son.
And
Aaron died there in the top of the mount.
And
Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount.
29
And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead,
they
mourned for Aaron thirty days,
even
all the house of Israel.
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