The Deaths of Miriam and Aaron and the Promise That Moses Also Would Not Enter the Promised Land

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Numbers 20:1) Then came the children of Israel, 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.

Some time has passed since the previous chapters and posts, as we will learn later that this was the first month of the fortieth year after their departure from Egypt.  The whole congregation came into the desert of Zin, but we know this was an entirely new generation, as God had said all their carcasses would fall in the wilderness (Numbers 14:29) because of their faithlessness.  The people dwelt in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin, and Miriam, Moses's sister, died and was buried there.

(2) And there was no water for the congregation, and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.

Here we go again!  Just as their fathers had murmured against Moses over a lack of water at Rephidim (Exodus 17:3), this generation gathered themselves against Moses and Aaron.  Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, suggested that this incident was so ordered by God to demonstrate whether these people would behave any better than their fathers.

(3) And the people chided with Moses, and spoke, saying, “If only we had died when our brethren died before the LORD!"

It's absolutely incredible that the people would wish they had suffered the anger and chastisement of the Lord, rather than be grateful for His sparing them.  I suppose the sense is that would have been a quick death rather than a lingering one.

(4) “And why have you brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die here?"

It's unbelievable that these people had learned nothing about God's continual provision, especially after witnessing what had happened to their fathers for their lack of faith.  However, here they are asking Moses why he brought them through this wilderness for forty years just to have them die there.  It's really absurd when you think about it!

(5) “And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is no place of seed, or of figs, or vines, or pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink."

The people demand to know why Moses and Aaron had brought them to such an evil place that had no good food or water.  As unconscionable as this was toward their Lord who had proved Himself faithful over and over again, think about how selfish and insensitive they were to blast Moses and Aaron with this while they were dealing with the death of their sister.

(6) And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell on their faces; and the glory of the LORD appeared to them.

Moses and Aaron didn't answer the people but went directly to the Lord, falling on their faces in reverence and prayer for this irreverent and undeserving people.  In this, they represent a type of Christ who constantly intercedes for us undeserving people.  The glory of the Lord appeared to Moses and Aaron.

(7) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (8) “Take the rod, and gather the assembly together, you, and Aaron your brother, and speak to the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth its water, and you shall bring forth to them water out of the rock; so you shall give the congregation and their beasts drink."

The Lord made no mention of the rebellious nature of the congregation, but simply told Moses to take his rod, the same rod with which he parted the Red Sea and smote the rock at Horeb, and gather the people together at a rock in their sight, and speak to it and it would bring forth water enough for the whole congregation and their animals.

(9) And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as He commanded him.

Moses took the rod as the Lord had commanded he do.  However, that may be where his obedience stopped.

(10) And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we fetch you water out of this rock?"

God had told Moses to gather the people and speak to the rock.  He gathered the people, and spoke to them.  Additionally, his language makes it sound as if the power comes from him to give them water from the rock.

(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.

Moses struck the rock twice when the Lord had told him just to speak to it, again perhaps demonstrating his own power.  However, even though Moses had not done exactly what He had been commanded, the Lord still brought forth water from the rock, and the people and their animals drank.

(12) And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them."

The Lord then spoke to Moses and Aaron, telling them that because they had not believed Him to sanctify Him in the eyes of the children of Israel, they would not be allowed to bring the congregation into the promised land.  Perhaps they did not believe that merely speaking to the rock was enough, that they must strike it to bring forth the water.  However, it is not by their actions that water was brought forth.  The language Moses used in saying "Must we fetch you water...?" does indeed make it sound as if he believed it was by his power that water was provided for the people.  His words and actions did not sanctify the Lord in the eyes of the children of Israel because they seem to credit himself and Aaron.  Aaron was apparently complicit in this act.

(13) This is the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and He was sanctified in them.

This place was called "Meribah" which means "strife, contention".  Biblical scholars say it was called Meribah-Kadesh to distinguish it from the other Meribah where the people also tempted the Lord (Exodus 17:7).  The Lord was sanctified after all by His own actions, even though Moses and Aaron had not sanctified Him as they should have.  Matthew Henry put it this way in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, "If He be not glorified by us, He will be glorified upon us."

(14) And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, “Thus says your brother Israel, ‘You know all the hardship that has befallen us, (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. (16) And when we cried to the LORD, He heard our voice and sent an angel, and brought us forth out of Egypt; and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of your border. (17) Please let us pass through your country; we will not pass through the fields or through the vineyards, nor will we drink water from the wells; we will go by the king's highway, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed your borders.'"

Moses sent messengers from where they were in Kadesh to the king of Edom.  The message began with the reminder that the Israelites and the Edomites were brothers, descending from Jacob and Esau.  They went on to explain the hardships they had experienced in Egypt and that the Lord had brought them to Kadesh, a city in the uttermost part of their border.  They asked that they be able to pass through their country.  They assured him they would not pass through any fields or vineyards, not drink any water from their wells, but go by the king's highway until they had passed their border.

(18) And Edom said to him, “You shall not pass by me, lest I come out against you with the sword.”

However, the king of Edom sent message back that he would not allow them to pass through his land, that he would come out against them with a sword if they did.

(19) And the children of Israel said to him, “We will go by the highway, and if I or my cattle drink of your water, then I will pay for it; let me only pass through on foot, without doing any thing else."

The children of Israel replied back that they would only pass through on the highway on foot, and would do nothing else.  However, if any of their people or cattle drank their water, they would pay for it.

(20) And he said, “You shall not go through.” And Edom came out against them with many people, and with a strong hand.

The king of Edom still refused to let the Israelites pass through and came out against them with many people and powerful force.

(21) Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border; therefore Israel turned away from him.

The king of Edom refused to give the Israelites passage through his land, and it appears that they patiently bore his refusal and turned away.

(22) And the children of Israel, the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh, and came to Mount Hor.

The congregation of Israel then journeyed from Kadesh to Mount Hor.

I am following a chronological Bible study by Skip Andrews, and it now takes me to Numbers 33:

(Numbers 33:37) And they removed from Kadesh, and pitched in Mount Hor, in the edge of the land of Edom.

Chapter 33, being an account of the journeys of Israel from when they came out of Egypt, also reported their move from Kadesh to Mount Hor, still at the edge of the land of Edom.

(Numbers 20:23) And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying, (24) “Aaron shall be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against My word at the water of Meribah."

At Mount Hor the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, and told them Aaron would die and would not enter the promised land because he had rebelled against the word of the Lord at the water of Meribah.

(25) “Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up to Mount Hor."

The Lord continued speaking to Moses and Aaron, and told them to bring Aaron and his son Eleazar up to the top of Mount Hor.

(26) "And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them on Eleazar his son; and Aaron shall be gathered to his people, and shall die there."

Aaron was to be stripped of his priestly garments and they were to be put on his son Eleazar, transferring the office of high priest to him.  Then there would Aaron die.

(27) And Moses did as the LORD commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.

Moses did as the Lord had commanded and took Aaron and Eleazar up Mount Hor in view of all the congregation of Israel.

(28) And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. And Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.

Moses stripped Aaron of his priestly garments and put them on Eleazar, Aaron's son.  Aaron died there on top of Mount Hor, and then Moses and Eleazar came back down from the mountain.

(Numbers 33:38) And Aaron the priest went up to Mount Hor at the commandment of the LORD, and died there in the fortieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month.

Numbers 33 also tells of this incident with a little more detail.  Aaron went up to Mount Hor at the Lord's commandment and died there on the first day of the fifth month in the fortieth year after the children of Israel had come out of Egypt.  This was the month called Ab, which contains parts of our July and August.  This would have been four months after Aaron's sister, Miriam, had died (Num. 20:1).

(39) And Aaron was a hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.

Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.

(Numbers 20:29) And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, all the house of Israel.

When Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain, and the people realized Aaron was dead, all of them mourned for Aaron for thirty days.

In this chapter, we had the deaths of Miriam and Aaron, and the promise that Moses also would not live to enter the promised land.  These great leaders of the children of Israel, Moses the representative of the law, Aaron the high priest, and the prophetess Miriam, could not bring the people into possession of their promised land because of their rebellion.  Some Biblical scholars have suggested this was by divine design in order to show there was no salvation in the law or the priesthood or the prophets.  If all these failed and were not good enough, how could anyone be?  Once again we see how we cannot be good enough to enter God's presence and that we need a Savior, and only the sinless perfect Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, can save us.