Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Numbers 13:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (2) “Send men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel; of every tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a ruler among them.”
The last post ended with the Israelites' journeying from one place to another, naming several various places they had stopped along the way. At this point it appears they are nearing their destination, as the Lord instructed Moses to send men into the land of Canaan to explore the land He was giving to them. The commentaries I study point out that in a future passage when Moses was recounting this time, we discovered that it was really the people themselves who wanted to check out the land before they actually took possession, and the Lord here was giving them permission rather than commanding them to do so. The people did not trust God that it was a good land and that He would put them in possession of it. They wanted to check it out for themselves first, and God allowed it, instructing Moses to send a leader from each tribe.
(3) And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran; all those men heads of the children of Israel.
As commanded by the Lord, Moses sent prominent men from each tribe out from them in the wilderness of Paran. These men were not the princes of each tribe, but appear to have been considered leaders in their tribes.
(4) And these were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.
Here begins a list of the leaders chosen to go search out their new land. First named was Shammua, the son of Zaccur, who was chosen from the tribe of Reuben.
(5) Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.
From the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat, the son of Hori, was chosen.
(6) Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. (7) Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph. (8) Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun.
From the tribe of Judah, Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, was chosen; Igal, the son of Joseph, was chosen from the tribe of Issachar; and from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea, who is Joshua, the son of Nun, was chosen. The commentaries I study all point out there is no further significance attributed to most of these chosen leaders; only Caleb and Joshua will be mentioned again. Actually, we have already learned that Joshua was a trusted servant of Moses.
(9) Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu. (10) Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi. (11) Of the tribe of Joseph, that is, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.
From the tribe of Benjamin was chosen Palti, the son of Raphu; from Zebulun, Gaddiel, the son of Sodi; and from the tribe of Manasseh, Joseph's son, Gaddi, the son of Susi, was chosen.
(12) Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli. (13) Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael. (14) Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi. (15) Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.
From the remaining tribes, Dan, Asher, Naphtali, and Gad, were chosen Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, and Geuel, respectively.
(16) These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.
In summation, it is stated that the preceding list of twelve men were indeed the names of the men Moses sent to spy out the land the Lord was giving the people. It is stated here that Moses called Hoshea, Joshua, which is how we had come to know him even before this time. Hoshea meant "deliverer" or "salvation"; Joshua, or "Yehoshua", meant "Jehovah is salvation" or "Jehovah-saved". Evidently, he had been born Hoshea, but it was Moses who had renamed him Joshua. It could have been partly out of affection for his protege, but it certainly placed honor on him, and would be an encouragement to him in this and all his future services with the assurances of God's presence. It could possibly be seen as prophetic of Joshua's succession to Moses in the government. Joshua is the same original name (Yehoshua) as Jesus, of whom Joshua was symbolic. Joshua was the savior of God's people from the powers of Canaan, as we'll soon see, and Christ is the savior of God's people from the powers of hell.
(17) And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way southward, and go up to the mountains, (18) And see what the land is like, and whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; (19) And whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are tents or strongholds; (20) And what the land is, whether it be
fat or lean, whether there be wood there, or not. And be of good
courage, and bring of the fruit of the land." Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.
Moses sent the twelve men to spy out the land of Canaan, directing them southward and up into the hill country of southern Canaan. He told them what to look for: what the land was like, rich or poor; whether the people were strong or weak, and whether their numbers were few or many; whether the people dwelt in tents or fortified cities; and whether there was timber for building, fuel, etc. He told the men to be of good courage, and not be afraid as they spied on this unknown land; after all, they had the power and protection of God. Moses also told them to bring back samples of the fruit of the land, for it was the time that the grapes and surely other fruits were ripening. Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, wrote that Moses's send-off, to "be of good courage", was probably not only meant to be an encouragement to them, but was a suggestion that they bring back a good report, with the samples of the fruit of the land, which would bring encouragement and excited anticipation to the people.
(21) So they went up and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, as men come to Hamath.
The spies went up the mountains in the south as directed by Moses. The wilderness of Zin was not the same as the wilderness of Sin from Exodus 16:1. Sin was nearer Egypt; this wilderness of Zin was on the south side of Canaan. From the south they passed through the whole land to the northern parts of it; from what I have read, Rehob was a city in the northwest part, and Hamath, a city in the northeast. The way the verse reads, it seems they went northward to Rehob, and then went eastward along the route that men took to Hamath.
(22) And they ascended by the south, and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
As they went up from the south, they went through Hebron, where the tribes of Anak and his three sons dwelt. A parenthetical note was made that Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt. The notation declared the antiquity of Hebron, but also might have been "to humble the pride of the Egyptians, who boasted the highest antiquity, that this note concerning the higher antiquity of Hebron was introduced by Moses" (Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible).
(23) And they came to the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they carried it between two of them on a staff; and they brought some of the pomegranates, and some of the figs.
When they came to the brook of Eschol, they cut down a branch that had just one cluster of grapes, but was so large it had to be carried on a staff between two men. Adam Clarke wrote of the historians who wrote of the extreme size of the grapes in that region--"each grape as large as a plum", "some bunches...weighed above forty-five pounds". Mr. Clarke also wrote, "From the most authentic accounts the Egyptian grape is very small, and this being the only one with which the Israelites were acquainted, the great size of the grapes of Hebron would appear still more extraordinary." The men also brought some samples of the pomegranates and figs.
(24) The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from there.
It appears the name Eschol was given by the Israelites, Eschol meaning "cluster". The brook or valley of Eschol was so named because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut from there.
(25) And they returned from searching the land after forty days.
They took an entire forty days to search out the whole land and then returned.
(26) And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the
congregation of the children of Israel, to the wilderness of Paran, to
Kadesh; and brought back word to them, and to all the congregation,
and showed them the fruit of the land.
When they came back, they went to Moses and Aaron, and before all the congregation; they brought back word to them, and showed them the fruit of the land they had brought back with them.
(27) And they told him, and said, “We went to the land where you sent us, and surely it flows with milk and honey, and this is the fruit of it."
The men reported to Moses that they had gone where he had sent them, and the land surely flowed with milk and honey, as the Lord had promised them; the fruit they had brought back was evidence of that.
(28) “Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are walled, and very great; and moreover we saw the children of Anak there."
Even though they had seen God's word confirmed that the land flowed with milk and honey, they couldn't accept that He was giving it to them, because of what they had seen in the strong people who dwelt there in fortified cities. Additionally, they had seen the children of Anak there, who must have been a terrifying tribe of which they had heard. Think about that for a moment. We don't hear of them encountering the Anakim before they are mentioned here. Yet the spies seem to believe reports they have heard from men over what their Lord God had told them, that He would give them the land.
(29) "The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south; and the Hittites, and the
Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites
dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan."
Imagine that! The Canaanites dwelt in Canaan! Of course, there were inhabitants in the land. Did they really believe that they were going to march into an uninhabited land flowing with milk and honey just waiting for only them? Their report of each of the tribes and where they dwelt was to demonstrate that they felt there was no place they could safely enter the land. However, God had already told them that He would drive out these tribes from the land He was giving them (Exodus 33:2).
(30) And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it."
Caleb calmed and quieted the people, and said that they should immediately go up and possess the land, stating they were well able to overcome the tribes there; of course, they were, with their Lord leading them, and based on His word that He would drive out those tribes. Matthew Henry pointed out Caleb's confidence and boldness in that he said they should go in immediately and possess the land. He didn't say they should go in and conquer it; that had already been done by their Lord who said He was driving the tribes out and giving them the land; all they needed to do was to go in and take possession.
(31) But the men that went up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”
Ten other men who had gone up with Caleb (we will see that Joshua was not included in this group) disagreed with Caleb and stated they could not go against the people of the land because they were stronger than they were. It's really amazing how weak and cowardly these men were, besides the fact that they did not believe their Lord; were they not 600,000 able men of war? Even of themselves they could have gone in to conquer the land, but the worse part is that they didn't believe their Lord to go in and possess it, as Caleb had said they should do.
(32) And they brought an evil report of the land which they had searched to the children of Israel, saying, “The land through which we have gone to search is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature."
The land they had first reported as one flowing with milk and honey (v. 27) now was said to be a land that devoured its inhabitants, either now insinuating that the land was not fruitful enough for all its inhabitants, or perhaps their meaning was that the different tribes of people in the different corners of the land attacked each other. They reported that all the people they saw were men of great size.
(33) "And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come from the giants; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight."
Here we see what must have been the reputation of the sons of Anak, that they were giants, and the men saw themselves as tiny in comparison, and so must they have seemed to the Anakim.
This promised land, Canaan, was a symbol of the kingdom of God. The wilderness through which the Israelites journeyed was illustrative of the difficulties and trials in this present world. The promise of the kingdom of God is given to us all, if we just believe in the One who makes the way. However, how many, including believers, get discouraged by the dangers they see ahead? May we all go up at once and possess the kingdom of God, as He has promised us, if only we trust His word that He will give us everlasting life if we accept His gift of Christ who covers our sins.
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Monday, September 3, 2018
God Rebukes the Murmuring of Aaron and Miriam
Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Numbers 12:1) And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
In the last chapter and post, we saw the Israelites grumbling and rebelling against their Lord in the wilderness of Paran. It seems the grumbling continued. Miriam and Aaron were Moses's siblings. They both had high honor and position among the Israelites. Miriam was a prophetess and Aaron was the high priest. From a later scripture in Micah 6:4 (For I brought you up from the land of Egypt...I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam), we see that God called them with Moses to deliver His people from Egypt. Yet here they are grumbling against Moses. It is stated that they spoke against him because he had married an Ethiopian woman. The original word translated as "Ethiopian" was "kushiyth", or "Cushite". There is much disagreement among Biblical scholars as to whom this refers. We know that Moses had married Zipporah, a Midianite, not a Cushite. Because Midian bordered on Ethiopia, they may have been calling Zipporah a Cushite in scorn. Perhaps this was not even Zipporah. "For he had married an Ethiopian woman" seems to be an explanation for the woman Moses had married. We already learned about the marriage to Zipporah and she was not an Ethiopian, so it seems logical that this was another wife. Either Zipporah had died, or Moses took another wife as was often done in his time. I don't believe it really matters who the wife was; the fact was that they were grumbling against Moses.
(2) And they said, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? Has He not spoken also by us?" And the LORD heard it.
Here we see the real reason for their grumbling. It had nothing to do with Moses's wife. They were jealous. As Micah 6:4 stated, they were called by God also, yet it seemed to them that Moses had done all the talking of late. He had just chosen the seventy elders to help divide his charge. Perhaps because they weren't included in selecting the elders, or perhaps because they felt their position was diminished because of the selection of seventy others, they spoke against Moses. Bringing up his wife may have been because they felt she, too, may have had an elevated position above them because she was Moses's wife, and they were jealous, pure and simple. The Lord heard their grumblings.
(3) (Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all the men who were on the face of the earth.)
This is a parenthetical statement explaining that Moses was the meekest man on the face of the earth. If Moses was so meek, would he have written this about himself? Yes, if he was Holy Spirit inspired to write it. Perhaps it being parenthetical as it was, some later scribe and prophet added it. The word translated as "meek" was "anav", and also means "lowly, poor, afflicted". We know that Moses was definitely afflicted in spirit when he had complained so much to God about his burdens in the last chapter. In whatever manner this came to be written, the reason is basically the same; it was inserted to explain why Moses himself did not vindicate himself, and why the Lord intervened on his behalf, as we will see.
(4) And the LORD spoke suddenly to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of the congregation." And the three came out.
It seems the Lord spoke immediately upon hearing Miriam and Aaron, and called them with Moses to the tabernacle. They all three came.
(5) And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forth.
The Lord came down in that pillar of cloud that was always over the most holy place of the tabernacle, and which was a symbol of His continual presence. He came to the door of the tabernacle where he called forth Miriam and Aaron, and they came forward to Him.
(6) And He said, "Hear now my words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, will make Myself known to him in a vision, and will speak to him in a dream."
The Lord told Aaron and Miriam to listen to Him, and understand that if there was a prophet, one with a prophetic message from the Lord, among the two of them, then they would receive their message in a dream or vision, as were the usual means of hearing from the Lord.
(7) "My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all My house. (8) With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches, and the similitude of the LORD he shall behold; why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?”
The Lord told Aaron and Miriam that that was not the case with Moses, who was faithful in the house of Israel. He told them that He spoke face to face with Moses plainly, not in obscure riddles or proverbs. Moses would also see an image or likeness of the Lord. We have already learned that no man could have seen God directly and lived (Exodus 33:20), but Moses saw a representation of God as in the burning bush, or something of the glory of God as when He passed by Moses in the cleft of the rock. How could it be that they weren't afraid to speak against God's servant whom He held in such high personal regard?
(9) And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them, and He departed.
God's anger burned against Aaron and Miriam, and He departed from their presence without hearing what they had to say for themselves, which was a plain indication of His anger against them.
(10) And the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow; and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.
God had already departed from the door of the tabernacle; now it seems the pillar of cloud departed from the tabernacle itself, representing God's deep displeasure with Miriam and Aaron that He would not suffer the cloud to continue over the tabernacle with them there. Miriam was immediately struck with leprosy, her skin turned white as snow. Aaron looked at Miriam and saw that she was leprous. I believe this wasn't meant to be a casual statement that he saw that she was leprous, but rather as the priest, it was his business to inspect her and pronounce her leprous, according to the law of leprosy. Miriam was struck with leprosy, but Aaron was not. It was probably because Miriam was the chief instigator. Her name was mentioned first in verse 1, and Aaron probably followed her lead, just as he had been willing to follow the mob in the making of the golden calf in Exodus 32. Additionally, perhaps God would not have his priesthood so dishonored. Perhaps it was punishment enough and very humbling for Aaron to have to pronounce his sister leprous, knowing the reason why and realizing he also deserved such a punishment.
(11) And Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. (12) Do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb.”
Aaron humbled himself to Moses, calling him his lord, confessing his foolish sin, and begging him not to allow their sin to be imposed on them this way. He asked that Miriam not be as one who was dead, as she would ceremonially be, separated and shut off from her people; and not one whose flesh was half consumed like a miscarried or stillborn child who perhaps never fully developed, or one who had been dead for awhile in his mother's womb. It's not as if Moses had the power to make Miriam leprous and to take it away, but thusly Aaron humbled himself to Moses, magnifying to the highest degree Moses's position and power, and perhaps realizing at this point that only Moses's intercession could help them now.
(13) And Moses cried to the LORD, saying, "Heal her now, O God, I beseech You."
Moses cried out to the Lord in prayer, asking that He please heal Miriam. Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, wrote about what a beautiful example this was, praying for one who despitefully used him (Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:28). Moses took no pleasure in the righteous judgment and punishment of the Lord, but in forgiveness prayed for mercy and healing for Miriam.
(14) And the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again.”
God answered Moses, saying that if Miriam's earthly father had spit in her face, showing his displeasure in her, would she not be ashamed and shut herself away for some time? How much more should she be ashamed by her sin against God! He told Moses to shut her out of the camp for seven days, and after that, she could be allowed back in again.
(15) And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days; and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again.
Miriam was indeed shut out of the camp for seven days, and the people did not journey from their camps until she was brought in again. This was certainly due to the fact that the cloud did not direct them to move, but it also taught an important lesson. Those like Miriam under censure and rebuke for sin ought to be treated with forgiveness, comfort, and love (2 Corinthians 2:7-8), and not counted as an enemy (2 Thessalonians 3:15) that they would leave behind.
(16) And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.
After the seven days and when Miriam was returned to the camp, the people moved from Hazeroth to another campsite within the wilderness of Paran.
As I am doing a chronologically ordered Bible study as set forth by Skip Andrews, I now move on to Numbers 33 as that study directed:
(Numbers 33:16) And they removed from the desert of Sinai, and pitched at Kibroth Hattaavah. (17) And they departed from Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth. (18) And they departed from Hazeroth and pitched in Rithmah.
Actually, these three verses take a step backward and tell us where the Israelites had traveled since leaving the desert of Sinai up to this point. Kibroth Hattaavah is where the people lusted after flesh and the place was so named. From there they moved to Hazeroth where Miriam was struck with leprosy. From Hazeroth they moved to another camp in the wilderness of Paran (Numbers 12:16), and we see in Numbers 33:18 that the name of that place was Rithmah.
(19) And they departed from Rithmah, and pitched at Rimmon Perez. (20) And they departed from Rimmon Perez and pitched in Libnah. (21) And they removed from Libnah and pitched at Rissah. (22) And they journeyed from Rissah and pitched in Kehelathah. (23) And they went from Kehelathah and pitched at Mount Shepher. (24) And they removed from Mount Shepher and camped in Haradah. (25) And they removed from Haradah and pitched in Makheloth. (26) And they removed from Makheloth and camped at Tahath. (27) And they departed from Tahath and pitched at Terah. (28) And they removed from Terah and pitched in Mithcah. (29) And they went from Mithcah and pitched in Hashmonah.
The people continued to journey from place to place, and I can only assume nothing of real importance happened in these places. Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, summarized these travels in the following manner, and I can only take his word for it:
Six miles from Rithmah, and then from Rimmon to Libnah, which was six miles also; and from thence to Rissah, which was six miles more; and from Rissah to, Kehelathah, which was the same number of miles; and from thence to Shapher, which was six miles also; and then they came to Haradah, which was four miles from thence; the next remove was to Makheloth, which was four miles and a half from the last place; then they went to Tahath, which was four miles more; and from thence to Tarah, which also was four miles; the next place they came to was Mithcah, four miles from Tarah; and then to Hashmonah, which was eight miles more.
(30) And they departed from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth. (31) And they departed from Moseroth and pitched in Bene Jaakan.
The people left Hashmonah and continued their journey. Dr. Gill compared these two verses to the account in Deuteronomy 10:6 and explained: "Thirty two miles from Hashmonah. In Deu 10:6 it is called Mosera; and according to the account there, they came hither from the following place, Benejaakan; probably they went first thither from Hashmonah, and then from Mosera or Moserot, and so to Benejaakan again, going backwards and forwards, so Jarchi; the distance of the two places was twenty four miles."
(32) And they removed from Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Hagidgad. (33) They went from Hor Hagidgad and pitched in Jotbathah. (34) And they removed from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah. (35) And they departed from Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber. (36) And they removed from Ezion Geber and pitched in the wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh.
The people continued their journey, and once again I turn to Dr. Gill's summation of these verses:
And they removed from Benejaakan, and encamped at Horhagidgad. In the Targum Jonathan called Gudgod, as it is Gudgodah in Deu 10:7, where the remove to this place is said to be from Mosera; it was twenty miles from Benejaaken; from thence they went to Jotbathah, twenty four miles from Horhagidgad; and from thence to Ebronah, twenty miles more; and so to Eziongeber, of which see 1 Ki 9:26 which was twenty eight miles from Ebrorah; and their next remove was to the wilderness of Zin, which was Kadesh, forty eight miles from Eziongeber.
This is where my chronological Bible study (suggested by Skip Andrews) tells me to stop for now. Again I can only assume that nothing of importance happened in these travels. Hopefully, the people had finally learned their lessons about complaining and murmuring after seeing Miriam, the sister of Moses, a prophetess, and probably the most highly regarded woman among them, struck with leprosy for her murmuring against Moses. Before their journeying was ended, the people will have spent forty years in the wilderness for a journey that could have been completed in a few weeks, because of their unfaithfulness and transgression. Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, compared this to our present-day acts of rebellion that keep us from immediately receiving God's best for us: "How many through their unfaithfulness have been many years in gaining that for which, in the ordinary procedure of Divine grace, a few days had been sufficient! How much ground may a man lose in the Divine life by one act of unfaithfulness or transgression!"
(Numbers 12:1) And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
In the last chapter and post, we saw the Israelites grumbling and rebelling against their Lord in the wilderness of Paran. It seems the grumbling continued. Miriam and Aaron were Moses's siblings. They both had high honor and position among the Israelites. Miriam was a prophetess and Aaron was the high priest. From a later scripture in Micah 6:4 (For I brought you up from the land of Egypt...I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam), we see that God called them with Moses to deliver His people from Egypt. Yet here they are grumbling against Moses. It is stated that they spoke against him because he had married an Ethiopian woman. The original word translated as "Ethiopian" was "kushiyth", or "Cushite". There is much disagreement among Biblical scholars as to whom this refers. We know that Moses had married Zipporah, a Midianite, not a Cushite. Because Midian bordered on Ethiopia, they may have been calling Zipporah a Cushite in scorn. Perhaps this was not even Zipporah. "For he had married an Ethiopian woman" seems to be an explanation for the woman Moses had married. We already learned about the marriage to Zipporah and she was not an Ethiopian, so it seems logical that this was another wife. Either Zipporah had died, or Moses took another wife as was often done in his time. I don't believe it really matters who the wife was; the fact was that they were grumbling against Moses.
(2) And they said, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? Has He not spoken also by us?" And the LORD heard it.
Here we see the real reason for their grumbling. It had nothing to do with Moses's wife. They were jealous. As Micah 6:4 stated, they were called by God also, yet it seemed to them that Moses had done all the talking of late. He had just chosen the seventy elders to help divide his charge. Perhaps because they weren't included in selecting the elders, or perhaps because they felt their position was diminished because of the selection of seventy others, they spoke against Moses. Bringing up his wife may have been because they felt she, too, may have had an elevated position above them because she was Moses's wife, and they were jealous, pure and simple. The Lord heard their grumblings.
(3) (Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all the men who were on the face of the earth.)
This is a parenthetical statement explaining that Moses was the meekest man on the face of the earth. If Moses was so meek, would he have written this about himself? Yes, if he was Holy Spirit inspired to write it. Perhaps it being parenthetical as it was, some later scribe and prophet added it. The word translated as "meek" was "anav", and also means "lowly, poor, afflicted". We know that Moses was definitely afflicted in spirit when he had complained so much to God about his burdens in the last chapter. In whatever manner this came to be written, the reason is basically the same; it was inserted to explain why Moses himself did not vindicate himself, and why the Lord intervened on his behalf, as we will see.
(4) And the LORD spoke suddenly to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of the congregation." And the three came out.
It seems the Lord spoke immediately upon hearing Miriam and Aaron, and called them with Moses to the tabernacle. They all three came.
(5) And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forth.
The Lord came down in that pillar of cloud that was always over the most holy place of the tabernacle, and which was a symbol of His continual presence. He came to the door of the tabernacle where he called forth Miriam and Aaron, and they came forward to Him.
(6) And He said, "Hear now my words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, will make Myself known to him in a vision, and will speak to him in a dream."
The Lord told Aaron and Miriam to listen to Him, and understand that if there was a prophet, one with a prophetic message from the Lord, among the two of them, then they would receive their message in a dream or vision, as were the usual means of hearing from the Lord.
(7) "My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all My house. (8) With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches, and the similitude of the LORD he shall behold; why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?”
The Lord told Aaron and Miriam that that was not the case with Moses, who was faithful in the house of Israel. He told them that He spoke face to face with Moses plainly, not in obscure riddles or proverbs. Moses would also see an image or likeness of the Lord. We have already learned that no man could have seen God directly and lived (Exodus 33:20), but Moses saw a representation of God as in the burning bush, or something of the glory of God as when He passed by Moses in the cleft of the rock. How could it be that they weren't afraid to speak against God's servant whom He held in such high personal regard?
(9) And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them, and He departed.
God's anger burned against Aaron and Miriam, and He departed from their presence without hearing what they had to say for themselves, which was a plain indication of His anger against them.
(10) And the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow; and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.
God had already departed from the door of the tabernacle; now it seems the pillar of cloud departed from the tabernacle itself, representing God's deep displeasure with Miriam and Aaron that He would not suffer the cloud to continue over the tabernacle with them there. Miriam was immediately struck with leprosy, her skin turned white as snow. Aaron looked at Miriam and saw that she was leprous. I believe this wasn't meant to be a casual statement that he saw that she was leprous, but rather as the priest, it was his business to inspect her and pronounce her leprous, according to the law of leprosy. Miriam was struck with leprosy, but Aaron was not. It was probably because Miriam was the chief instigator. Her name was mentioned first in verse 1, and Aaron probably followed her lead, just as he had been willing to follow the mob in the making of the golden calf in Exodus 32. Additionally, perhaps God would not have his priesthood so dishonored. Perhaps it was punishment enough and very humbling for Aaron to have to pronounce his sister leprous, knowing the reason why and realizing he also deserved such a punishment.
(11) And Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. (12) Do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb.”
Aaron humbled himself to Moses, calling him his lord, confessing his foolish sin, and begging him not to allow their sin to be imposed on them this way. He asked that Miriam not be as one who was dead, as she would ceremonially be, separated and shut off from her people; and not one whose flesh was half consumed like a miscarried or stillborn child who perhaps never fully developed, or one who had been dead for awhile in his mother's womb. It's not as if Moses had the power to make Miriam leprous and to take it away, but thusly Aaron humbled himself to Moses, magnifying to the highest degree Moses's position and power, and perhaps realizing at this point that only Moses's intercession could help them now.
(13) And Moses cried to the LORD, saying, "Heal her now, O God, I beseech You."
Moses cried out to the Lord in prayer, asking that He please heal Miriam. Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, wrote about what a beautiful example this was, praying for one who despitefully used him (Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:28). Moses took no pleasure in the righteous judgment and punishment of the Lord, but in forgiveness prayed for mercy and healing for Miriam.
(14) And the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again.”
God answered Moses, saying that if Miriam's earthly father had spit in her face, showing his displeasure in her, would she not be ashamed and shut herself away for some time? How much more should she be ashamed by her sin against God! He told Moses to shut her out of the camp for seven days, and after that, she could be allowed back in again.
(15) And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days; and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again.
Miriam was indeed shut out of the camp for seven days, and the people did not journey from their camps until she was brought in again. This was certainly due to the fact that the cloud did not direct them to move, but it also taught an important lesson. Those like Miriam under censure and rebuke for sin ought to be treated with forgiveness, comfort, and love (2 Corinthians 2:7-8), and not counted as an enemy (2 Thessalonians 3:15) that they would leave behind.
(16) And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.
After the seven days and when Miriam was returned to the camp, the people moved from Hazeroth to another campsite within the wilderness of Paran.
As I am doing a chronologically ordered Bible study as set forth by Skip Andrews, I now move on to Numbers 33 as that study directed:
(Numbers 33:16) And they removed from the desert of Sinai, and pitched at Kibroth Hattaavah. (17) And they departed from Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth. (18) And they departed from Hazeroth and pitched in Rithmah.
Actually, these three verses take a step backward and tell us where the Israelites had traveled since leaving the desert of Sinai up to this point. Kibroth Hattaavah is where the people lusted after flesh and the place was so named. From there they moved to Hazeroth where Miriam was struck with leprosy. From Hazeroth they moved to another camp in the wilderness of Paran (Numbers 12:16), and we see in Numbers 33:18 that the name of that place was Rithmah.
(19) And they departed from Rithmah, and pitched at Rimmon Perez. (20) And they departed from Rimmon Perez and pitched in Libnah. (21) And they removed from Libnah and pitched at Rissah. (22) And they journeyed from Rissah and pitched in Kehelathah. (23) And they went from Kehelathah and pitched at Mount Shepher. (24) And they removed from Mount Shepher and camped in Haradah. (25) And they removed from Haradah and pitched in Makheloth. (26) And they removed from Makheloth and camped at Tahath. (27) And they departed from Tahath and pitched at Terah. (28) And they removed from Terah and pitched in Mithcah. (29) And they went from Mithcah and pitched in Hashmonah.
The people continued to journey from place to place, and I can only assume nothing of real importance happened in these places. Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, summarized these travels in the following manner, and I can only take his word for it:
Six miles from Rithmah, and then from Rimmon to Libnah, which was six miles also; and from thence to Rissah, which was six miles more; and from Rissah to, Kehelathah, which was the same number of miles; and from thence to Shapher, which was six miles also; and then they came to Haradah, which was four miles from thence; the next remove was to Makheloth, which was four miles and a half from the last place; then they went to Tahath, which was four miles more; and from thence to Tarah, which also was four miles; the next place they came to was Mithcah, four miles from Tarah; and then to Hashmonah, which was eight miles more.
(30) And they departed from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth. (31) And they departed from Moseroth and pitched in Bene Jaakan.
The people left Hashmonah and continued their journey. Dr. Gill compared these two verses to the account in Deuteronomy 10:6 and explained: "Thirty two miles from Hashmonah. In Deu 10:6 it is called Mosera; and according to the account there, they came hither from the following place, Benejaakan; probably they went first thither from Hashmonah, and then from Mosera or Moserot, and so to Benejaakan again, going backwards and forwards, so Jarchi; the distance of the two places was twenty four miles."
(32) And they removed from Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Hagidgad. (33) They went from Hor Hagidgad and pitched in Jotbathah. (34) And they removed from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah. (35) And they departed from Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber. (36) And they removed from Ezion Geber and pitched in the wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh.
The people continued their journey, and once again I turn to Dr. Gill's summation of these verses:
And they removed from Benejaakan, and encamped at Horhagidgad. In the Targum Jonathan called Gudgod, as it is Gudgodah in Deu 10:7, where the remove to this place is said to be from Mosera; it was twenty miles from Benejaaken; from thence they went to Jotbathah, twenty four miles from Horhagidgad; and from thence to Ebronah, twenty miles more; and so to Eziongeber, of which see 1 Ki 9:26 which was twenty eight miles from Ebrorah; and their next remove was to the wilderness of Zin, which was Kadesh, forty eight miles from Eziongeber.
This is where my chronological Bible study (suggested by Skip Andrews) tells me to stop for now. Again I can only assume that nothing of importance happened in these travels. Hopefully, the people had finally learned their lessons about complaining and murmuring after seeing Miriam, the sister of Moses, a prophetess, and probably the most highly regarded woman among them, struck with leprosy for her murmuring against Moses. Before their journeying was ended, the people will have spent forty years in the wilderness for a journey that could have been completed in a few weeks, because of their unfaithfulness and transgression. Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, compared this to our present-day acts of rebellion that keep us from immediately receiving God's best for us: "How many through their unfaithfulness have been many years in gaining that for which, in the ordinary procedure of Divine grace, a few days had been sufficient! How much ground may a man lose in the Divine life by one act of unfaithfulness or transgression!"
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