Thursday Night Bible Study

Numbers 19:11-Numbers 20 (Click scripture reference for audio access)

"The End Of An Era"  •  5.31.12  •  Thursday Night Bible Study, Calvary Christian Fellowship

Intro.

- We left off talking about the Red heifer and the ashes that were used for purifying the people from their sin while in the wilderness. We'll pick that up in verse 11.

Text

• Numbers 19:11-13 : "He who touches the dead body of anyone shall be unclean seven days. He shall purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean. Whoever touches the body of anyone who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the Lord. That person shall be cut off from Israel. He shall be unclean, because the water of purification was not sprinkled on him; his uncleanness is still on him." :

Over the course of the wilderness wanderings, the first generation of people died in the desert. Often, this would happen during their travels, so God provided a way for them to be ceremonially clean.

- If they had touched a dead body it defiled them because it was directly opposed to who God is. God is the God of the living. He is associated with life.

- Death comes as a result of sin and therefore, to come again into God's presence, one needed to wash that death off of themselves.

- God also makes a statement regarding those who did not purify themselves. This was a choice and it would lead to them being cut off because of their continual uncleanness.

- God has made a provision for us to be right with Him. To not take advantage of that is to betray a heart of rebellion.

• Numbers 19:14-19 : "This is the law when a man dies in a tent: All who come into the tent and all who are in the tent shall be unclean seven days; and every open vessel, which has no cover fastened on it, is unclean. Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain by a sword or who has died, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. And for an unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin, and running water shall be put on them in a vessel. A clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, sprinkle it on the tent, on all the vessels, on the persons who were there, or on the one who touched a bone, the slain, the dead, or a grave. The clean person shall sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, wash his clothes, and bathe in water; and at evening he shall be clean." : The desert had been a giant graveyard. It's an appropriate picture for us today.

- We walk around and get exposed to death that is all around us. We see it on television, we get near it when we go to work.

- They were to wash themselves with running water. In much the same way spiritually, you and I cleanse ourselves with the word of God at some clip similar to what's prescribed here!

• Numbers 19:20-22 : "But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from among the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water of purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean. It shall be a perpetual statute for them. He who sprinkles the water of purification shall wash his clothes; and he who touches the water of purification shall be unclean until evening. Whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.’" : This part of this chapter is a mystery. Simply put, a person that makes a choice not to be purified defiles everything around them!

- People that come into contact with him. Moses notes that even that which would make him clean would make another unclean for cleaning him with it!

- Nobody seems to have a sure understanding of this passage, but a principle seems to be clear: Whatever would make us impure requires purificiation and it's available to us in Jesus!

• Numbers 20:1 : "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." : Consider this life for a moment. Here was a courageous young girl, who stood by the banks of the Nile River to see what would happen with her little brother Moses.

- She stood at the Red Sea wondering what God would do and when she crossed the Red Sea, she looked back and saw an army that fell into the sea! She wrote a song about that!

- Over time, she stood against her brother Moses and it seems that she fell right in line with those who did not believe in God's ability to bring them into the land!

- It doesn't matter how you start, nor how you are doing. It's how you finish!

- Miriam was privileged to be related to Moses, but that did not insulate her from falling. She was given great gifts, but that did not keep her from stumbling!

- She had seen great things, but that did not keep her from choosing disbelief! Be warned!

•  Numbers 20:2-5 :  "Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: 'If only we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! Why have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? 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.'" : When the congregation came to a place without water, it seems that this was their standard procedure.

- These words really stuck out to me, in that they assembled themselves together. What for?

- Did they assemble together to pray? Did they assemble together to call out to the Lord? Did they come together to repent of their complaining hearts? Nope! They came together to contend!

- The trial revealed their impatience and distrust. Instead of repenting, the came to quarrel.

- They said to Moses, "You are killing us! This isn't what you promised us!" Can you understand that your complaints are not against a person but against God?

- Who brought them there? It was the Lord, not Moses. Does He bring you to dry places so that you can complain? He brings you to dry places so that He can teach you to trust Him!

- We are too much like the Israeli people in this regard. When we come to a place like this, it would be good to pray that the circumstance would drive us to trust and obey.

• Numbers 20:6-9 : "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. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, 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.' So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him." : The patented move that Moses and Aaron illustrate is the movement toward the Lord and the humility of prostration. When they did, God appeared. They stood before His glory.

- He showed up to minister to them. What a comfort! God will do the same when we run toward Him seeking His help.

- The Lord gave Moses some specific instructions. He was to take the staff, bring the people together and speak to the rock and God would bring enough water out from the rock for all to drink.

- If this sounds familiar, it is because we have studied a narrative that is very reminiscent.

- Exodus 17:1-7 records Moses' first encounter with rocky mountain spring water! There God called Moses to strike the rock. Now, God calls Moses to speak to the rock.

•  Numbers 20:10,11 : "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?' 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." : They brought the assembly together before the rock. God had directed them to this rock and made it clear that this was the place where He would water His flock.

- It's interesting that Moses' first words did not sound as they had previously. "Listen you rebels!" Uh, Moses? "Do we have to bring this water out of this rock for you!?" Uh oh!

- Moses had not been told to speak to the people. He was supposed to speak to the rock! Then, to make matters worse, he spoke in a way that suggested that he and Aaron would give water!

- Not good! Moses, instead of speaking to the rock, struck the rock, not once but twice with the rod!  Do notice that God brought water out abundantly and the congregation had their need met.

- God is gracious in His provision for His people, even when their shepherd is out of line!

• Numbers 20:12,13 : "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.' This was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the Lord, and He was hallowed among them." : Something happened between the time when they got on their faces and when they went to face the congregation!

- The Lord speaks to both Moses and Aaron here. Moses had done the speaking, but they were in agreement when they spoke harshly.

- Understand something vital: Assuming the correct posture doesn't assure us of the correct action! Moses and Aaron had done the right thing, but they had not left with the right heart!

- They left the presence of the Lord but they didn't leave their poison with the Lord!

- Consequently, God tells them that He has called them because they did not believe Him, to hallow Him in the eyes of the congregation.

- Listen to the NLT rendering of verse: "Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel."

- Moses' anger against the people was a violation of trust. These were God's sheep and if He were angry with them, He would make that clear.

- They did not believe that God would take care and vindicate them as He had in the past. Now, as a result, Moses would not bring them into the land!

- Whoa, God!? This is Moses? And therein is our problem: But He is God! Moses or any other man that we esteem, falls short of God's authority in our lives!

- There is not a man on Earth, nor has their ever been, that can sin with impunity! You might think that this is a small thing, but consider this: Moses misrepresented God! That's big!

- In this case, they also made the tremendous mistake of destroying the type. The rock had already been struck. Now, he was to speak to the rock, a picture of Christ, who was struck once!

- When God calls a man to lead His people, you had better resign yourself to speak what is spoken to you and only that which is spoken to you! Moses failed on that point!

- The water came out and the place was called Meribah which means "contention." Israel had fought with God, but God was seen as holy in their eyes!

• Numbers 20:14-17 : "Now Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. 'Thus says your brother Israel: ‘You know all the hardship that has befallen us, how our fathers went down to Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers. When we cried out to the Lord, He heard our voice and sent the Angel and brought us up out of Egypt; now here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your border. Please let us pass through your country. We will not pass through fields or vineyards, nor will we drink water from wells; we will go along the King’s Highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.’" : This is a very gracious letter from Moses, who was now on the border of Edom with the children of Israel. God had instructed the people of Israel that Edom was not theirs to have.

- Genesis 36 sets the record straight that Esau and Jacob's possessions were too great to share the land of Canaan, therefore, God gave Esau the possession of what would be Edom.

- Moses tells the entire story of what had happened and now requests a friendly passage through their land to the Kings Highway, which was just north of the Red Sea.

- The King's Highway was a route that came from the northern tip of the Red Sea and went straight through the territories of Edom, Moab and ultimately into Canaan.

- This was strict business trip. They would be in and out without a problem.

• Numbers 20:18-21 : "Then Edom said to him, 'You shall not pass through my land, lest I come out against you with the sword.' So the children of Israel said to him, 'We will go by the Highway, and if I or my livestock drink any of your water, then I will pay for it; let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.' Then he said, 'You shall not pass through.' So Edom came out against them with many men and with a strong hand. Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so Israel turned away from him." : Despite assurances to the contrary, Edom refused to believe Israel's intentions and turned them away with great hostility.

- This was far from brotherly love or neighborly grace! Edom shows it true colors of resistance to God's favor upon the people of Israel.

• Numbers 20:22-24 : "Now the children of Israel, the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying: 'Aaron shall be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against My word at the water of Meribah."

Aaron's life would come to an end on Mount Hor.

- Here is another man whose life had begun in a glorious way. He had come out to meet Moses and was his voice to the Pharaoh.

- He was given the privilege to become Israel's High Priest, being the one man that would be allowed to enter into the Holy Of Holies.

- And yet, Aaron was a follower. He listened to the crowd and followed their lusts when he fashioned the golden calf and called them to worship.

- Later, he joined Miriam in levelling criticism against Moses' leadership. Now, at the end of his life, he likely followed Moses' lead in striking out in anger against the people of Israel.

• Numbers 20:25-29 : "Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up to Mount Hor; and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; for Aaron shall be gathered to his people and die there.' So Moses did just as the Lord commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. Now when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, all the house of Israel mourned for Aaron thirty days." : Mount Hor would be a place of transition. Aaron's garments would be removed and placed on Eleazar.

- Imagine if you will the bittersweet moment that would be! Eleazar received the clothes that his Father wore in front of the whole congregation.

- Aaron died there on the mountain and Moses and Eleazar came down.

Conclusion

- If it had not been for God's faithfulness, where would Israel have ended up? Some, at least implicitly refused to cleanse themselves.

- Their heroes, Miriam, Aaron and Moses were less than perfect. Thank God for His faithfulness to you! Thank Him that when you fail, He is faithful.