Bereans Corner
Bereans Corner
Thru the Bible - #135 -Numbers 20 - Death of Miriam
Welcome to Berean's Corner, the podcast where we go through books of the Bible chapter by chapter and verse by verse, wherever you are in the world. Thank you for joining. Grab a glass of water, a cup of coffee or tea and let's get into today's lesson. Welcome back and thank you for joining me. Open your Bible to Numbers, chapter 20. The title of today's lesson is Death of Miriam. Also in this chapter, we are talking about the waters of Meribah and the death of Aaron Moses. Excuse me, numbers, chapter 20, and let's read.
Speaker 2:Numbers 20. In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the desert of Zin and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried. There, miriam died and was buried and there was no water for the community. And the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. They quarreled with Moses and said If only we had died when our brothers fell down before the Lord. Why did you bring the Lord's community into this desert that we and our livestock should die here? Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates and there's no water to drink.
Speaker 2:Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance, to the tent of meeting, and fell face down 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 community so they and their livestock can drink. So Moses took the staff from the Lord's presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly 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 community 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 Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them. These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he showed himself holy among them.
Speaker 2: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 upon us. Our forefathers went down into Egypt and we lived there many years. The Egyptians mistreated us and our fathers, but when we cried out to the Lord, the Egyptians mistreated us and our fathers. But when we cried out to the Lord, he heard our cry. He sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt.
Speaker 2:Now we are here at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory. 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 through your territory. But Edom answered you may not pass through here. If you try, we will march out and attack you with the sword. The Israelites replied we will go along the main road 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 go through their territory, israel turned away from them.
Speaker 2:The whole Israelite community set out from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. At Mount Hor, near the border 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 Israelites because both of you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah. Get Aaron and his son Eliezer and take them up Mount Hor. Remove Aaron's garments and put them on his son Eliezer, for Aaron will be gathered to his people, he will die there. Moses did as the Lord commanded. They went up to Mount Hor in the sight of the whole community. Moses removed Aaron's garments and put them on his son Eliezer. And Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eliezer came down from the mountain and when the whole community learned that Aaron had died, the entire house of Israel mourned for him 30 days Now.
Speaker 1:The last time we were together we looked at the sacrifices that had to be made via the red heifer. In this chapter, moses will lose two siblings Miriam, his sister, and Aaron, his brother. Every one of us has lost someone we cared about deeply. It can be a hard time emotionally and spiritually, but here Moses will lose two people very close to him. Back to back. Now we have taken this chapter and broken it down into five parts. Part number one, just in case you excuse me. Part number one Miriam passes away. We notice this in verse one. Then the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to the wilderness of Zin in the first month and the people stayed at Kadesh. Now, miriam died there and was buried there. Just in case you forgot, miriam was the sister who cared for Moses when his mother put him in the water to save his life. Just to remind us of that, hold your finger here and go back left in your Bible to Exodus, exodus, chapter 2, and we will get a. We will get a refresher on this, on this event. Exodus, chapter 2. We are looking in verses 4 to 9. Exodus 2 4 to nine and his sister. This is talking about. Moses stood at a distance to find out what would happen to him. Then the daughter of pharaoh came down to breathe that excuse me came down to bathe at the now with her matings walking alongside the now, and she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid and she brought it to her. When she opened it she saw the child and behold, the boy was crying and she had pity on him and said this is one of the hebrews children. Then his sister this will be miriam said to pharaoh's daughter shall I go and call a nurse for you from the hebrew women that she may nurse the child for you? And pharaoh's daughter said to her go ahead. So the girl went and called the child's mother. Then pharaoh's daughter said to her go ahead. So the girl went and called the child's mother. Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her take this child away and nurse him for me and I shall give you your wages. So the woman took the child and nursed him. Now I believe Miriam was about nine to 12 years older than Moses. You know around the time these things happen, so she's a little bit older than Moses. You know around the time these things happen, so she's a little bit older than Moses.
Speaker 1:Part two the people are still grumbling and God provides water. We see this in verses two through six. There was no water for the congregation and they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron. Doesn't this sound familiar? The people thus contended with Moses and spoke, saying if only we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord. Why then have you brought the Lord's assembly into this wilderness for us and our beast to die here, and why have you made us come up from Egypt they they still talking about egypt to bring us into this wretched place? It is not a place of grain or figs, or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink. Then moses and aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the dory of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. Then the glory of the lord appeared to them. Now I I really okay. You know I've said this a lot of times and it's beginning to be a broken record that these Israelites, you know, are not grateful people. These people do not realize what the Lord has done for them yet and still they don't sit back, they don't wait to see. Listen, we're thirsty, we're hungry. Let's see what the Lord does. He's done all of these miracles Every since he brought up, ever since we were in Egypt, to show how he was going to bring us out, and ever since he brought us out of the land of Egypt, he has done all of these things to provide for us. Yet, and still, these people are still grumbling and, as I always mention, what they're doing is they're taking it out on the people they can see, moses and Aaron. What they really are doing is they're really complaining to the Lord. They're just acting like they're complaining to Moses and Aaron.
Speaker 1:Let's move on to part three, the waters of Meribah. We see this in verses 7 through 13. The lord spoke to moses, saying take the rod and you and your brother aaron, assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water from them, out of the rock, and yet the congregation and their beasts and let excuse me and let the congregation and their beasts drink. So the lord is about to provide yet another miracle in front of these people.
Speaker 1:So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as he had commanded him, and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock and he said to them listen now, you rebels. Shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock? Now, that's the question that Moses is asking them, and I love the fact that he called them rebels, because that is exactly what they're being they're rebellion. They're rebelling against the Lord. Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod and water came forth abundantly and the congregation and their beasts drank. So the Lord made a waterfall come out of this rock. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron because you have not believed me to treat me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them. Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the Lord and he provided excuse me, and he proved himself holy among them. Notice what it said. It said that they contended with the lord, because that's exactly what they did. They didn't believe in the lord and they didn't believe in the things that lord done had done for them. They are still contending with the lord.
Speaker 1:We move on to part four. Israel faces an obstacle. The king of edom of edom would not let them pass through. We see this in verses 14 through 22, now from Kadesh. Moses then sent messengers to the king of Edom. Thus, your brothers, israel has said you know all the hardships that has befallen us that our fathers went down to Egypt and we stayed in Egypt a long time and the Egyptians treated us and our fathers badly. But when we cried out to the Lord, he heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out from Egypt.
Speaker 1:Now, behold, we are at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory. Please let us pass through your land. We shall not pass through field or through vineyard. We shall not even drink water from a well field or through vineyard. We shall not even drink water from a well. We shall go along the king's highway, not turning to the right or left, until we pass through your territory. I'm gonna stop right there for a second.
Speaker 1:So israel has sent messengers ahead to let the king of edom know that we are coming to your territory. This is how people did things. Listen, people. You cannot go to a foreign land and just do what you want to do. You cannot just come up and go through there. You have to send word to the officials, word to the authorities. We are going to come in to your land, but we want your permission first, and they are letting him know we listen, we're not coming through here. We're not taking any burden off of your people. We won't turn to the right or the left. What are saying? They're saying like we're not going to be looking around. Our eyes are not going to get big. We're not going to be looking at your vineyards, we're not going to be looking at your cornfields, your rice fields, your grain fields won't eat or take in anything. We're not even going to drink your water. We just want to go through the king's highway.
Speaker 1:Now, the king's highway would have been a smooth ride. You got to understand back in those that would have been the kind of the equivalent of our freeways in this time. The King's Highway would have been a road that was, that was, a free of of bushes and weeds and more likely even grass, because it was, you know, treaded upon by horses and foot, and it was a smooth road that got you from one place to the next. Picking it back up at verse 18, eden, however, said to him you shall not pass through us lest I come out with the sword against you. So Edom is already saying yeah, I'm hearing what you're saying, but the answer is no. Again, the sons of Israel said to him we shall go up by the highway and if I and my livestock do drink any of your water, then I will pay its price. Let me only pass through on feet, nothing else. But he said this is Edom again, you shall not pass through. And Edom came out against him with a heavy force and with a strong hand. Thus Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through his territory, so Israel turned away from him. Now, when they set out from Kadesh, the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor. So where they were trying to get to, they want to pass through Edom, but the king of Edom said absolutely not. And he sent out his army to let them know that that was not going to happen. Now that they are turning, they're going to Mount Hor.
Speaker 1:We will move on to part 5, which is the death of Aaron. We see this in verses 23 through 29. Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, by the border of the land of Edom, saying Aaron shall be gathered to his people. If any of you forgot, that is a term that means that you are about to die, for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the sons of Israel because he, excuse me, because you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah. Take Aaron and his sons, eliezer, and bring them up to Mount Hor and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on his son, eliezer. So Aaron will be gathered to his people and will die there. So Moses did just as the Lord had commanded and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. The Lord had commanded and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation, and after Moses had stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on his son Eliezer, aaron died there on the mountaintop. Then Moses and Eliezer came down from the mountain and when all the congregation saw that Aaron had died, all the house of Israel wept for Aaron 30 days.
Speaker 1:Now it's very understandable that this would be a sad moment. It's very sad for Moses because not too long before this he loses his big sister in Miriam. Now he loses his big brother and really his right hand, the one who did the speaking for him in Aaron, and the people would have been sad because they have been traveling. They have all been a group for a long time. Aaron was a major part of this group, and now Aaron is no more.
Speaker 1:Now, one thing I will say about Aaron's death is is that how lucky is he to know when his time is to go? Yes, death is a very sad thing, but when you know you're going to be with the Lord, it takes the sadness away. Aaron is told, unlike a lot of us, we don't know the day or the time. Really none of us do. But the Lord knows all and I think that this is a a this is a uh, a gracious thing that the Lord is doing by letting Aaron know that his time is up. It gives him it actually gives him a time to say one last goodbye to his sons and to Moses, the ones who took him up on the mountain.
Speaker 1:You know, maybe I kind of always wonder about things like this. Maybe they reminisce going up on that mountain, maybe they talked about, you know, the old times, or remember when the Lord brought us up out of Egypt. I mean, you know, man, I can't wait to tell these stories to the next generation. All the things he did, all the miracles that he caused in Egypt, how he rescued us and saved us. And then you get on top of the mountain, you take off your priestly garments, your brother Moses puts them on your son, and then you lay down, you cover up and you breathe your last. That is the way that a lot of us would want to go. I mean, I would love to go that way. I would love to go in my old age knowing that two days from now is my last day. Hey, when you? It's a two-day. I'm just using an example. It's a two-day journey to get to the top of that mountain and when you get up there, you're going to breathe your last. That's how Aaron went out, and now Moses, out of his siblings and his family, will be the only one left, and we will pick it up the next time when we jump into numbers chapter 21. All right, that brings us to the end of numbers, chapter 20.
Speaker 1:I hope that you got something out of this lesson. I hope that this lesson encouraged you and strengthened you. Excuse me, as I always ask, continue to pray for me. Pray for me to have the strength to finish, to get through all of these books of the bible. That's the goal is to get through every book of the bible, every chapter, every, every verse, not missing not a single word. Pray for me to stay strong in the scriptures and just in my regular everyday life, and I am doing the same for you as well. I appreciate you all a great deal. I'm praying that you are in good health and good spirits. I am praying that all of these lessons are meaningful to you and that you learn something out of it. And until next time, that's all for now, god bless.
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