Nu. 20: Rock Water, Aaron Dead

Nu. 20:11 "Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank."

There's a lot going on Numbers 20. Two prophets die. Moses gets water from a rock, and is forbidden to lead Israel into the promised land. Edom makes a jerk of itself.

The first few verse sound a lot like Exodus 17, where Israel is mad about having to be in a desert and there being no water. Instead of wishing to be back in Egypt, the Israelites wish they had been struck down like their brothers, when God sent the plague. Brazen.

Furthermore, they ask Moses why they "bring the LORD's community into this desert." I find that the most telling quote from an Israelite to this point. It speaks on a couple levels...First off, that they think of themselves as pretty all right people. They are "the LORD's community." An amazing air of self-entitlement.

Secondly, that Moses is just dragging them around this desert with no regard to what the LORD wants. They were promised land. This promise was passed down from Abraham and was deeply engrained in their culture. Here they were, so close, and this clown Moses was getting them lost in the Sinai wilderness. Moses was deliberately trying to kill them off and keep them from getting was they assumed was theirs.

Thirdly that God and Moses are not communicating, and maybe Moses is spreading rumors to God about the people. Would God not know what was going on?

To solve the "no water" problem, God tells Moses to take his staff, speak to a big rock out there, and that water would pour out.

Moses goes for it, but in his anger at the Israelites, Moses strikes the rock. Not once, twice. Water poured out anyway, even though Moses disobeyed God. Moses' error did not further antagonize the Israelites.

Oh, Moses. Why would you hit the rock? It worked last time, but this time you disobeyed. He rebelled against God at the same time he called the Israelites "rebels" in verse 10. It seems like a very unjust punishment on Moses to not be able to lead the Israelites into the land God promised. God says Moses did not honor Him as holy in the sight of the Israelites. Its sad, I can only guess at the degree of schadenfreude the Israelites must have felt to see Moses get chewed out by God as they watered their livestock. Whoever was going to lead Israel into the promised land was apparently going to have to be more holy than Moses. The waters again were called Meribah, as they were in Exodus.

Moses tries to bring the Israelites through Edom (who were the people descended from Esau). Even thought Israel promises to mind its own business, Edom refused to let them go through their land, even threatening military intervention. A couple things strike me here. First, it must have been engrained in Edom's culture how Jacob deceived their father. Secondly, if Israel needed to go somewhere, it would seem that God could help them overcome any army. Israel avoided war for some reason in this situation. Perhaps it was because it was their brother nation?

Aaron dies at the end of Numbers 20, and Eleazar, Aaron's son, takes over as the high priest. He was gathered to his people, whatever that means. And the only thing I can think of is that he goes to wherever his ancestors are. It is apparent even here that death isn't the end of the person. Korah and his family simply went into "the grave." The people who died previously still exist at some level, and I don't really yet know what that entails. They will be together, apparently, wherever it is they are.

Ex. 6: Israelites to Moses: "Whatever, loser."

The LORD was definitely ready for this type of reaction. He didn't even mention the fact that Moses should have expected this kind of response from Pharaoh. He told Moses, "You watch...because of me, he will let them go...he will drive them out of his land." Because of God. Not because little old Moses with his couple of tricks was going to convince him.

Interesting here is how God reveals Himself to Moses. Not as God Almighty as he had to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but as Jehovah (KJV) or LORD (NIV). I'm not sure if this is a next level of revelation, if Jehovah is some sort of a superior title to God almighty...but I thought I read how God revealed himself as the LORD in time past. Maybe I missed it. The point is, God is making himself known in a real way to Moses, and gives him a message to prophesy to the Israelites.

He established His covenant with them (Gen 15:18). To give them the land of Canaan (Gen. 17:8), the land of their wandering, where they were strangers.

He has also heard their outcry, from being enslaved by the Egyptians.

He has remembered His covenant.

God is the LORD, and he will bring them out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I think the KJV says it beautifully here. He will bring them out from under their burdens. It is their yoke to carry. A burden is the Egyptian existence, and the covenant God has planned for the Israelites will not be a burden. It was not the intent. He will redeem them from their slavery with an outstretched arm, to bring them to Himself.

God will be their God, and they will be His people. And for their inheritance, God will give them the land He promised.

And the Israelites, still smarting from what happened the last time they tried this whole "God" thing, weren't listening. Would it have mattered to them if Moses had mentioned that Pharaoh would refuse their exodus, having had his heart hardened by the LORD? Would they trust a God who would harden their taskmaster's heart?

God gives Moses another opportunity before Pharaoh, but Moses reverts back to his Burning Bush attitude. "If the Israelites won't listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, as I am one of faltering lips?" But God gave His command.

Then we have another genealogy. And God's command to Moses is reiterated. Very important. Very challenging.