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001

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.