Audio Download

Numbers 20:1-29  The Death of Miriam and Aaron

[Study Aired September 18, 2023]

Num 20:1  Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there. 
Num 20:2  And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. 
Num 20:3  And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! 
Num 20:4  And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there? 
Num 20:5  And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink. 
Num 20:6  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 the LORD appeared unto them.
Num 20:7  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 20:8  Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
Num 20:9  And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him. 
Num 20:10  And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? 
Num 20:11  And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
Num 20:12  And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. 
Num 20:13  This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them. 
Num 20:14  And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us: 
Num 20:15  How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers: 
Num 20:16  And when we cried unto the LORD, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border: 
Num 20:17  Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy 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 thy borders. 
Num 20:18  And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword. 
Num 20:19  And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing any thing else, go through on my feet. 
Num 20:20  And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand. 
Num 20:21  Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him. 
Num 20:22  And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh, and came unto mount Hor. 
Num 20:23  And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying,
Num 20:24  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 ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah. 
Num 20:25  Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor: 
Num 20:26  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. 
Num 20:27  And Moses did as the LORD commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 
Num 20:28  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. 
Num 20:29  And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel. 

Introduction

In order to understand this chapter, we need to note that it begins the history of the fortieth year (which was the last year) of the Israelites’ wandering in the wilderness. Finally, after going round in circles in the wilderness for almost forty years as a result of the Lord’s judgment, they were now at Kadesh, near the border with Edom. This Kadesh is not the same as Kadesh-barnea which was near the borders of Canaan. They were therefore on the right way toward the land of Canaan and were not far off from the place where they were when, by the righteous judgment of the Lord, they were made to begin their wanderings.  

Psa 95:10  For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.”
Psa 95:11  Therefore I swore in my wrath, “They shall not enter my rest [the promised land].”

This chapter gives an account of the death of Miriam, the fetching of the water out of the rock when the people of Israel were in distress as a result of lack of water, the negotiation with Edom and finally, the death of Aaron, the High Priest upon Mount Hor.

To understand spiritually what the Lord is telling us regarding this chapter, we need to know that the people of Israel were getting closer to leaving the wilderness and entering the promised land. This means we are going to learn from this chapter what happened to us which necessitated our exit from Babylon, or the physical churches of this world, in order to possess our bodies (land) for Christ. Remember that the word of the Lord has a past application, a present reality and a future perspective. That is the “is”, “was” and “will be” nature of the word of the Lord. This is what happened to Apostle John at Patmos when he encountered our Lord Jesus Christ:

Rev 1:9  I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 
Rev 1:10  I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 
Rev 1:11  Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. 
Rev 1:12  And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 

In Revelation 1:10, John heard behind him a great voice, like that of a trumpet. The voice behind him refers to the “was” part of the word of the Lord. The fact that the voice was like that of a trumpet means that John cannot mistake the voice for any other than the true shepherd, who is Christ. When he turned to see the voice, he saw the seven golden candlesticks. In a similar pattern, it is when, through the word of the Lord, we look back, that we see clearly the deplorable state of the complete church system of this world (Babylon) from which the Lord has delivered us. 

Today’s study, therefore, gives us more insight into how the Lord caused our exit from Babylon as we come to see the deplorable state of the churches of this world and some lessons we need to learn to keep us from being disqualified after calling others to the contest.

1Co 9:27  I harden my body with blows and bring it under complete control, to keep myself from being disqualified after having called others to the contest. (GNT)

Num 20:1  Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there. 

The significance about this verse is the death of Miriam. As we are aware, a woman represents the church. Remember that this death of Miriam occurred just a year before the Israelites entered the land of Canaan. The death of Miriam therefore shows us that it was when the Lord was preparing us for our exit from Babylon to possess our bodies (the land of promise) that we saw the spiritually dead state of the church, symbolized by the death of Miriam. Without the Lord showing us the spiritual state of the churches of this world, we would have continued to be in Babylon. We must remember that the last thing we heard of Miriam before her death was that she became leprous as a result of her action together with Aaron to usurp the authority of the Lord’s elect, Moses. The people of Israel had to wait until she was healed before they continued their journey. 

Num 12:1  And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
Num 12:2  And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it. 

Num 12:9  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed.
Num 12:10  And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.

Num 12:15  And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.

By making Miriam leprous, the Lord was showing us that the problem with the church is sin. The death of Miriam was therefore a symbol of the spiritually dead state of the church which the Lord showed to His elect just before their exit from Babylon.

Isa 1:4  Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. 
Isa 1:5  Why should ye be stricken anymore? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 
Isa 1:6  From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.

Num 20:2  And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. 
Num 20:3  And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! 
Num 20:4  And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there? 
Num 20:5  And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink. 

As the Israelites were close to entering the land of Canaan, it became obvious to them that there was scarcity of water in the wilderness, and without the Lord’s intervention, they would surely die together with their cattle. In this wilderness of life, there is a lack of the truth of the word of the Lord, and it is even worse as we see the end of this age approaching. This is what Jesus told us regarding His coming:

Luk 18:8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

We know faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. This means that if there are scarcely people with faith in this life, then it implies that the word of the Lord is extremely scarce in this life.  

One of the key factors that pushed us out of Babylon was the realization that there is a lack of the truth of the word of the Lord (absence of water) in the churches of this world. It is as the Lord is preparing us to leave Babylon to possess our bodies (land) that we come to see the scarcity of the truth of the word of the Lord in the churches of this world. Therefore, we came to the conclusion that if we do not leave, we shall die.

Amo 8:11  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: 
Amo 8:12  And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
Amo 8:13  In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.

Num 20:6  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 the LORD appeared unto them. 
Num 20:7  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 20:8  Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. 
Num 20:9  And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him. 

Two conditions must be satisfied if the elect, symbolized by Moses and Aaron, are to make available the truth of the word of the Lord to all humanity (the people of Israel) in an age to come. We must take the rod from the presence of the Lord and also speak to the rock before the presence of the people of Israel before we can be given the opportunity to feed all humanity with the word of the Lord. The rod in the hand of Moses symbolizes our judgment by the Lord in this life. Speaking to the rock which is Christ and also His words means that our walk in this life must be characterized by faith in His words. It is this faith in His words which translates into works which act as a witness to the whole world (people of Israel) that we are indeed His children. That is what will qualify us to feed all humanity in the lake of fire with the word of the Lord. 

Psa 89:32  Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.

Pro 22:15  Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

Lam 3:1  I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.

Jas 2:14  What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 

Jas 2:17  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Jas 2:18  Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

Num 20:10  And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? 
Num 20:11  And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
Num 20:12  And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. 
Num 20:13  This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.

To understand what we are being told spiritually in these verses, we need to note that Moses and Aaron, apart from representing the elect, also represent the law of Moses. This law is not by faith. It is when we leave Babylon that we begin our walk of faith and therefore the law of Moses becomes irrelevant in our walk since the law which is taught in Babylon is not of faith. 

Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 
Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Whenever we walk not according to faith, we sin against the Lord. That was what happened to Moses and Aaron. 

Rom 14:23  And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

Moses and Aaron should have exercised faith in the Lord and spoken to the rock to bring out water. But as explained, the law of Moses is not of faith, and therefore, the Lord allowed them to fail to show us the limitation of the law. Moses smiting the rock twice before the people spiritually implies crucifying the Lord Jesus again and putting Him to public shame. If we adhere to the law, we make the sacrificial death of Jesus of no significance. Incidentally, it is those who have been enlightened, like Moses and Aaron, who end up crucifying to themselves the son of God afresh when they fall away.  This is to serve as a warning to us, His elect.

Heb 6:4  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

In Psalm 106:32-33, we are told that Moses spoke unadvisedly because the people of Israel made him bitter. The Lord has warned us to look diligently lest the root of bitterness springs up in us to defile many. 

Psa 106:32  They angered him at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill with Moses on their account, 
Psa 106:33  for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke rashly with his lips. (ESV)

Heb 12:15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 

In verse 11, we are told that when Moses struck the rock twice, there was plenty of water for the people of Israel to drink together with their beasts. The feeding of the beasts together with the people of Israel signifies that the word of the Lord which comes out of the law strengthens the beast within. It is not like the fire of the word of the Lord that destroys the beast within us. In other words, the word of the Lord in Babylon does not profit them that hear.

Heb 4:2  For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

Num 20:14  And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us: 
Num 20:15  How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers: 
Num 20:16  And when we cried unto the LORD, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border: 
Num 20:17  Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy 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 thy borders. 
Num 20:18  And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword. 
Num 20:19  And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing any thing else, go through on my feet. 
Num 20:20  And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand.
Num 20:21  Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.

The Edomites were the descendants of Esau, the firstborn son of Isaac and the twin brother of Jacob. The Edomites were therefore close relatives of the people of Israel.

Deu 23:7  “You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you were a sojourner in his land. 

In spite of Edomites being close relatives of Israel, we can see in these verses that they were ready to fight the Israelites instead of assisting them to pass through their land. Therefore, they signify our flesh, and as we know, our flesh is in enmity with the spirit the Lord has given us.

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Gal 5:18  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

It is when the Lord is preparing us to leave Babylon that we come to see the formidable opposition of our flesh and our helplessness in fighting back, just as the Israelites saw they could not overcome the Edomites. It was when the Israelites were in the land of Canaan as they walked by faith that they defeated their enemies and possessed the land the Lord had promised them. We all go through similar experiences as the Israelites did. This was the experience of Paul when he said the following:

Rom 7:14  For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 
Rom 7:15  For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
Rom 7:16  If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
Rom 7:17  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 
Rom 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 
Rom 7:21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 
Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Num 20:22  And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh, and came unto mount Hor. 
Num 20:23  And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying, 
Num 20:24  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 ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah. 
Num 20:25  Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor: 
Num 20:26  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. 
Num 20:27  And Moses did as the LORD commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 
Num 20:28  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. 
Num 20:29  And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel. 

Aaron, who represents the Levitical priesthood, is a symbol of the priesthood in Babylon. The death of Aaron therefore signifies the fact that the priesthood in Babylon brings about the ministration of death. Again, it is when we are about to leave Babylon that we begin to see the nature of the priesthood in Babylon – a ministry of death. 

2Co 3:5  Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 
2Co 3:6  who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
2Co 3:7  Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 
2Co 3:8  will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory?
2Co 3:9  For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 

Rom 7:6  But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

This is what the word of the Lord has to say about the spiritually dead state of the priesthood in Babylon:

Eze 22:25  The conspiracy of her [Babylon] prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured human lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst. 
Eze 22:26  Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have disregarded my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. 
Eze 22:27  Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain. 
Eze 22:28  And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ when the LORD has not spoken. 
Eze 22:29  The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner without justice. 
Eze 22:30  And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.

Jer 5:30  An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land [Babylon]:
Jer 5:31  the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?

The stripping of Aaron’s garments by Moses and putting them on Eleazer in verse 28 means that we do not have our own righteousness and that our righteousness is of Christ who puts it on whomsoever He chooses. 

1Co 1:30  And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 
1Co 1:31  so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 

2Co 5:21  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

In verse 29, when the congregation of the Israelites saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned him for thirty days. It is in the lake of fire age that Babylon, signified here by the congregation of Israel, will see that the law of Moses is an administration of death. Just as the elect are mourning (wearing sackcloth) in this life as a result of the judgment of their old man, the people of Israel or Babylon will mourn as they are judged in the lake of fire for thirty days. The 30 (3×10) days signifies that at the fullness of the flesh, the world, including Babylon, will become mature through the process of judgment in the lake of fire. 

Rev 11:3  And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth [mourning].” 

May the Lord help us to walk by faith but not by sight as we see the day approaching. Amen!!