David and Goliath

Continuing a chronological Bible study after a brief interlude of psalms:

(1 Samuel 17:1) Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle and were gathered together at Shochoh in Judah and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah in Ephes Dammim.

In chapter 16, David had been anointed to be the next king and had meanwhile gone to live in the palace of King Saul as his musician, Saul not knowing David was to replace him.  Chapter 17 reverts back to the Philistine wars (1 Samuel 14:52).  The Philistines gathered their armies together at Shochoh, a city in the tribe of Judah, and actually camped between Shochoh and Azekah in a place called Ephes Dammim.

(2) And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together and pitched by the valley of Elah and set the battle in array against the Philistines.

Saul gathered his men together and they camped by the valley of Elah, also called the valley of Terebinth for the terebinth or turpentine trees.  Saul set his army in array, prepared to go against the Philistines.

(3) And the Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, and a valley between them.

The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, apparently at or near Ephes Dammim, and the Israelites apparently went up a mountain from the valley of Elah and faced the Philistines, with the valley of Elah between them.

(4) And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

Someone called a champion of the Philistines, named Goliath, went forth out of the camp of the Philistines.  He was a giant of a man, six cubits and a span in height.  A cubit was the length from the cubitus (the elbow) to the end of the middle finger, about eighteen inches.  A span was the span of a hand, from the tip of the middle finger to the bottom of the thumb at the wrist.  That was generally thought to be about half a cubit, or nine inches.  Therefore Goliath was about nine feet nine inches tall.

(5) And a helmet of brass on his head and armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat five thousand shekels of brass.

Goliath wore a helmet of brass on his head and a coat of chain mail that weighed 5000 shekels of brass, or 156 pounds, meaning Goliath must have been a very strong man to carry all that weight.

(6) And greaves of brass on his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders, 

Goliath had shin armor of brass on his legs and something of brass between his shoulders.  The original word "kiydon" that was translated as "target" was most often translated as "spear" or "shield."  It was likely something of brass to protect his neck.

(7) And the staff of his spear like a weaver's beam, and his spear's head six hundred shekels of iron, and one bearing a shield went before him.

The staff of Goliath's spear was like a weaver's beam on which the weaver's cloth was rolled, but there is no consensus on the exact size of that.  The spear's head weighed 600 shekels of iron, or about eighteen pounds.  One carrying a shield went before Goliath.

(8) And he stood and cried to the armies of Israel, and said to them, "Why have you come out to set battle in array? Am not I a Philistine, and you servants to Saul? Choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me."

Goliath stood in the valley between the two mountains of armies and cried out to the army of Israel.  Why had they set a battle line as if to fight the Philistines?  He seemed to be suggesting that it was needless as he was a Philistine and their dispute could be settled by a battle between just him and a servant to Saul, as he called the Israelites.  He told them to choose a man and send him down into the valley to Goliath.

(9) "If he is able to fight with me and to kill me, then will we be your servants, but if I prevail against him and kill him, then shall you be our servants and serve us."

Goliath proposed that the Israelites send one man out to fight him, and if he was able to kill him, the Philistines would become the servants of Israel.  However, if Goliath was able to kill the Israelite man, then Israel would be servants to the Philistines.

(10) And the Philistine said, "I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man that we may fight together."

Goliath taunted the Israelites, challenging them to send one man to fight him.

(11) When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

When Saul and the Israelites heard those words of Goliath, they were disheartened and afraid.  Saul had formerly behaved with much courage against his enemies, but now the Spirit of God had left him, and he was afraid.  

(12) Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse, and he had eight sons, and the man went among men an old man in the days of Saul. (13) And the three eldest sons of Jesse followed Saul to the battle, and the names of his three sons who went to the battle, Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

David was the youngest son of Jesse, the Ephrathite from Bethlehem Judah.  Jesse had eight sons, and he was considered an old man among men in the days of Saul, maybe said to explain that he was too old for war, but his three oldest sons, Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah, followed Saul to battle.

(14) And David was the youngest, and the three oldest followed Saul. (15) But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

David, Jesse's youngest son, did not follow Saul to battle, but left Saul's palace to return to his father to tend his sheep.

(16) And the Philistine drew near morning and evening and presented himself forty days.

Meanwhile, the Philistine Goliath came near the Israelite camp every morning and evening for forty days, daring them to send down a man to fight with him, and probably taunting and ridiculing them for their cowardice in not doing it.

(17) And Jesse said to David his son, "Take now for your brethren an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to your brethren, (18) And carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brethren fare and take their pledge."

Jesse told David to take some food out to his brothers at the Israelite camp.  He told him to also take ten cheeses to the captain of one thousand men under whom his brothers fought.  He told him to see how his brothers were faring and bring back what they had to say in return.

(19) Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.

Saul, David's brothers, and all the army of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, or probably actually in array on the mountain just above the valley because they weren't actually in battle yet but prepared for it, as it appears that only Goliath was in the valley calling on someone to come down and fight him.

(20) And David rose up early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took and went as Jesse had commanded him, and he came to the trench as the host was going forth to the fight and shouted for the battle. (21) For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army.

David rose up early in the morning, leaving his father's sheep in the care of a keeper, and took the provisions Jesse had told him to take, and went to where the Israelite army was.  He came to the trench of the army just as they were preparing to go forth to battle and shouted for it, for the Israelites and the Philistines had put themselves in battle lines to go forth against each other.

(22) And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage and ran into the army and came and saluted his brothers.

The original word "keliy" that was translated as carriage, actually more precisely meant anything prepared, any apparatus--utensils, vessels, bags, furniture, tools, weapons, etc.  In this case, I'm sure it rather meant the vessels in which were the provisions he brought.  He probably left those in the care of the keeper of such things for the army and ran to greet his brothers among the army.

(23) And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spoke according to the same words, and David heard.

As David talked to his brothers, Goliath came forth, speaking the same words he had been speaking for forty days, telling the Israelite army to send one man out to fight him.  David heard him.

(24) And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were sore afraid. (25) And the men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely to defy Israel has he come up, and it shall be, the man who kills him, the king will enrich him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel."

When they saw Goliath come forth, all the Israelites were afraid and fled from him.  However, they spoke among themselves, probably trying to encourage one another, that the king had said he would reward the man who killed Goliath, enriching him with great riches, giving him his daughter in marriage, and making his father's house free from tributes or taxes.

(26) And David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, "What shall be done to the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" (27) And the people answered him after this manner, saying, "So shall it be done to the man who kills him."

David spoke to the men near him and asked what was to be done with the man who killed Goliath and took away the dishonor that the uncircumcised pagan Philistine was doing to Israel, for that detestable man was not one to be defying the armies of the one true living God.  The people told David what they had been discussing in verse 25, that the king would enrich such a man who killed Goliath and reward him and his father's house. 

(28) And Eliab, his oldest brother, heard when he spoke to the men, and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, "Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the haughtiness of your heart, for you have come down that you might see the battle."

David's oldest brother Eliab heard what David had been saying to the men, and he grew angry, probably because he felt what David had said was a reproach of him and the others who did not have the courage to fight Goliath.  He asked David why he had come there.  He suggested that he had been negligent in the care of his father's sheep, that perhaps he was too proud to be merely a shepherd, and he had come down to see the battle for selfish reasons.

(29) And David said, "What have I done now? Is there not a cause?"

David asked Eliab what blameworthy thing he had done.  He had merely spoken what he felt.  Was there not a reason for his indignation against this uncircumcised Philistine and a concern for the glory of God and the honor of the people of Israel?

(30) And he turned from him toward another and spoke after the same manner, and the people answered him again after the former manner.

David turned from Eliab and spoke to another man near him, asking him what was to be done about this Philistine and the man who should attempt to kill him, and probably also communicating to him his indignation against the pagan wretch who defied the one true living God and His people.  People told him the same thing about how the king wished to reward the man who killed Goliath.

(31) And when the words were heard which David spoke, they reported them to Saul, and he sent for him.

Eventually the words that David had been speaking reached Saul, and he sent for David.

(32) And David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine."

When David came before Saul, he told him that no more should men be afraid of Goliath, nor should Saul worry about who to send, for he volunteered to go fight him.  

(33) And Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you a youth, and he a man of war from his youth."

Saul told David he was not able to go against Goliath as he was but a youth, and Goliath, besides being a giant of a man, had been an experienced man of war since his youth.

(34) And David said to Saul, "Your servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock, (35) And I went out after it, and struck it, and delivered it out of its mouth, and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck it, and killed it."

David told Saul that as a shepherd of his father's sheep, he had opportunities to fight and kill dangerous beasts who would take lambs from the flock, and he had been successful and rescued the lambs.

(36) "Your servant killed both the lion and the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God."

David went on to tell Saul that he had killed a lion and a bear, and he saw the Philistine Goliath as just another beast deserving of death because he had defied the armies of the one true living God.

(37) David said moreover, "The Lord who delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and the Lord be with you."

David went on to add that He knew that the Lord who had delivered him from the lion and the bear, would deliver him out of the hand of that Philistine.  David had complete faith that the Lord would give him victory over Goliath.  Saul, seeing that great faith and assuredness of victory, told David to proceed and prayed the Lord be with him.

(38) And Saul armed David with his armor, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.

Saul armed David with his own personal armor.  He put a brass helmet on his head and covered him with a chain mail coat.

(39) And David girded his sword upon his armor, and he assayed to go, for he had not proved it. And David said to Saul, "I cannot go with these, for I have not proved them." And David put them off him.

David girded his sword onto the armor and appraised how it would work on him since he had not before tested it.  He then told Saul that he could not use the armor because he had not ever tested and practiced with such armor.  He took the armor off.

(40) And he took his staff in his hand and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a pouch, and his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.

Having taken off the armor, David took his staff in his hand and picked up five smooth stones out of the brook.  He put them in a shepherd's pouch that he had, and with his sling in his hand, he drew near to the Philistine.

(41) And the Philistine came on and drew near to David, and the man who bore the shield before him. (42) And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him for he was a youth, and ruddy, and of fair countenance. (43) And the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

The Philistine came toward David, with a man bearing a shield before him.  When Goliath the Philistine saw David, that this fresh-faced good-looking kid was going to fight him, he had disdain for David.  He asked him sarcastically if he was dog to be beaten by David's stick or staff.  Goliath then cursed David by his pagan gods.

(44) And the Philistine said to David, "Come to me and I will give your flesh to the fowls of the air and to the beasts of the field."

The Philistine, probably having so much disdain for so pitiful a combatant, that he would not go forth as if to consider this an actual battle, told David to come to him, and he would give his flesh to the birds and the beasts.

(45) Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a shield, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. (46) This day will the Lord deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you, and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day to the fowls of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel."

Then David told Goliath that although he had come to David with a sword and a spear and a shield, he, David, had come in the name of the Lord of all the hosts, the heavenly hosts and the hosts of the world, and particularly the armies of Israel whom Goliath had defied.  And rather than Goliath giving David's flesh to the birds and the beasts, the Lord would deliver Goliath to David, and he would give the carcasses of the Philistines to the birds and the beasts, so that all the world would know that there was the all-powerful living God in Israel.

(47) "And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands."

David went on to add that everyone there would know that the Lord did not need the swords and spears of men, for this battle was His and His alone, and He Himself would deliver the Philistines into Israel's hand.

(48) And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hasted and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.

Then the Philistine Goliath came toward David, and David ran toward him and the Philistine army.  So confident in his complete faith of the Lord to deliver him and Israel, he ran directly toward the enemy and did not flee as the Israelite army had done.

(49) And David put his hand in his bag and took from there a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth.

David then retrieved a stone from his pouch and using his sling, slung the stone and struck Goliath on his forehead.  The stone went deep into his forehead, and Goliath fell on his face to the ground.  Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Bible, pointed out what he called a difficulty, with how David could strike Goliath in the forehead if he was wearing a brass helmet (verse 5).  I see no such difficulty as he could have struck him in between his eyes or even in his eye, as the original word "metsach" also meant "brow."  If David struck right underneath the brow of Goliath's eye, it would account for how the stone could sink deep into Goliath's head, into his brain, and kill him instantly.

(50) So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone and struck the Philistine and killed him, but no sword in the hand of David.

Thus David killed Goliath with just a sling and a stone; he had no sword or spear, nor any such weapon.  The Lord, working through David and his great faith, killed the Philistine just as David said He would in verse 47, "not with sword and spear."

(51) Therefore David ran and stood upon the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

David ran toward the body of Goliath and stood on it.  He took Goliath's sword out of its sheath and cut off his head with his own sword.  When the Philistines saw that their champion had been killed, they fled.

(52) And the men of Israel and of Judah arose and shouted and pursued the Philistines until you come to the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even to Gath and to Ekron.

The men of Israel and Judah rose up out of their camps and their trenches, shouted, and pursued the fleeing Philistines back to the gates of their own city, Ekron, one of the five principalities of the Philistines.  The wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, a city in Judah, and to the borders of Gath and Ekron, Philistine cities.

(53) And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their tents.

The Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines and plundered their camp.

(54) And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.

David took the head of Goliath to Jerusalem, and he kept Goliath's armor in his own tent.

(55) And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of the host, "Abner, whose son is this youth?" And Abner said, "As your soul lives, O king, I cannot tell." (56) And the king said, "Enquire whose son the stripling is."

When Saul had seen David go forth against Goliath, he asked the captain of his army, whose son he was.  Saul had evidently not recognized David when he tried to arm him with his armor.  That seems a bit strange, but then Saul employed David when his mind was plagued by the evil spirit, and even then he may not have had occasion to actually see much of David.  I can imagine servants whisking David into the room of the king who was sitting or lying down and having him play his harp behind the king.  Abner, the captain of his army, said that he did not know whose son David was, so the king sent him on a mission to find out.

(57) And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.

As David returned from killing Goliath and with his head in his hand, Abner took him aside and brought him before the king, Saul.

(58) And Saul said to him, "Whose son are you, young man?" And David answered, "I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite."

Saul asked David whose son he was, and David told him he was the son of Jesse, the Bethlehemite, which I suppose differentiated him from any other Jesse.  Perhaps this refreshed Saul's memory of David, but we aren't told that specifically.

Robert Hawker, in his Poor Man's Commentary, made the observation of how illustrative David and this encounter were of the coming Messiah.  Goliath, with his bold and open defiance of Israel and with his taunting of the people, was symbolic of Satan who goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).  David who was very indignant that no one defended the Lord's honor is likened to Jesus in the prophecy in Isaiah 63:5, he "looked and there was none to help...therefore my own arm brought salvation to me..."  

I saw even more similarities in the event.  As the Messiah defeated Satan without a sword, so David defeated Goliath, actually the Lord Himself through David.  And when David stood upon the body of Goliath, I couldn't help but think of Genesis 3:15 when God prophesied and cursed the serpent in the garden of Eden that the eminent seed of the woman, the Messiah, would bruise the head of the serpent, the devil.  You can just picture Jesus crushing the head of the serpent, and David cut off the head of Goliath.  I am always in awe of the many places you find Jesus in the Old Testament!

David is Secretly Anointed

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 16:1) And the Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided Me a king among his sons."

At the end of the last chapter, the Lord had completely rejected Saul as king over Israel after he had disobeyed the Lord's commandment again.  Samuel had cried to the Lord and still mourned for Saul, how long the scripture doesn't say, but in 1 Samuel 13:14, when Samuel first told Saul his kingdom would not continue, and God had sought a man after his own heart to replace him, David was not yet born.  And now the Lord was telling Samuel to fill his horn with oil to make ready for a journey and go and see Jesse the Bethlehemite, the father of David.  God told Samuel he had made one of Jesse's sons His king.

Something else that struck me about this verse was that the Lord in effect told Samuel to stop mourning because He had rejected Saul.  For one, it was useless to continue mourning when God had made His decision and was not going to change it.  But also, to keep mourning over someone who had rejected God and whom God rejected seems to elevate that person over God.  There comes a time when we must give such people over to God and trust He will deal with them righteously, which He will because He is completely righteous, just, loving, merciful, and all good.  He also wishes all people to be saved, but some people are more hard-headed, and it takes a little more trouble in their lives to turn them.  God knows what they need and we must trust Him to deal with them, and we must turn our attention back to God and what we should be doing for His kingdom.

(2) And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears, he will kill me." And the Lord said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.'"

Samuel wondered how he would be able to do what God instructed when surely Saul would kill him if he heard about it.  The Lord told Samuel to take a heifer with him, and if questioned, just say he was going to sacrifice it to the Lord.  In those times, there were occasions when a sacrifice might be made anywhere for different reasons, so that should satisfy Saul.

(3) "And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint to Me whom I name to you."

The Lord told Samuel to call Jesse to the sacrifice, and He would tell Samuel what to do.  He was to anoint the person whom the Lord named to him at that time.

(4) And Samuel did that which the Lord spoke and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, "Do you come peaceably?"

Samuel did what the Lord had told him to do, and he went to Bethlehem with a heifer.  The elders of the town were fearful of why Samuel might be coming to them.  As a prophet of the Lord, he might have come to denounce them and bring some judgment on them for their sins.  Therefore, they asked if he had come to them peaceably.

(5) And he said, "Peaceably. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and called them to the sacrifice.

Samuel said he had come peaceably to sacrifice to the Lord, and he invited the elders to sanctify themselves and go with him to the sacrifice.  Sanctifying themselves would probably have consisted of washing themselves and changing to clean garments and preparing their hearts and minds to offer acceptably to the Lord.  Samuel then called Jesse and his sons to sanctify themselves and go to the sacrifice, as well.

(6) And it came to pass, when they had come, that he looked on Eliab and said, "Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him."

When Jesse and his sons came, Samuel took notice of Jesse's oldest son, Eliab, and thought that he must have been the one that God wanted anointed as king.

(7) But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his countenance or on the height of his stature because I have refused him; for not as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."

However, the Lord told Samuel not to look at Eliab's appearance or his height as qualifications for being king.  The Lord had not chosen Eliab because He did not look at the outward appearance of a man, but rather He looked at the heart.

(8) Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen him." (9) Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen him."

Jesse called his second son, Abinadab, to pass before Samuel, but he said that the Lord had not chosen him.  The same with Jesse's third son, Shammah; Samuel said the Lord had not chosen him either.

(10) Again, Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen these." (11) And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your children here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he keeps the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and fetch him, for we will not sit down till he comes here."

One by one, Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but each time Samuel told him the Lord had not chosen them.  He then asked Jesse if all his sons were there.  Jesse told him there was only the youngest left who was tending the sheep.  Samuel told Jesse to send for him, for they would not sit down at the table to eat of that part of the peace offerings which belonged to Samuel as he had offered the sacrifice, and which he had invited Jesse and his sons to partake of, until the youngest son joined them.

(12) And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and with a beautiful countenance and good-looking. And the Lord said, "Arise, anoint him, for this is he."

Jesse sent for his youngest son, David, and brought him to Samuel.  David had a ruddy complexion and was good-looking with a beautiful countenance.  It's funny, I always thought of ruddy as sort of rough and ruddy or red, more like Esau (Genesis 25:25), whom I pictured red, rough, and hairy.  However, the dictionary definition of ruddy is "having a fresh, healthy red color."  That seems more fitting for young David, fresh-faced and good-looking.  The Lord told Samuel that David was the one He wanted anointed.

(13) Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brethren, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

Samuel took the horn of oil he had carried with him and anointed David in the midst of his brothers.  Dr. John Gill in his Exposition of the Bible, wrote that the sense was more like he "anointed him from the midst of his brethren," as in he was chosen from the midst of his brothers.  Or I suppose that if he did anoint him in the midst of his brothers, that they had no idea it was because he was to be king, for there was "secrecy with which Samuel was directed to manage this affair, and which was necessary to observe, to keep it from the knowledge of Saul."  The Spirit of the Lord came upon David that day and was with him from that day forward.  Samuel, having done his duty, rose up and went back to Ramah.

(14) But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.

However, the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul.  It's not as if the Lord had only so much Spirit to give, and when He gave it to David, it must come from Saul.  But David was now God's chosen leader, His anointed, and Saul no longer was because of his disobedience.  An evil spirit then troubled Saul.  It is said to be from the Lord, but I imagine that just withdrawing His Holy Spirit would make Saul susceptible to evil spirits.  I think of it as like it was for Job; God gave Satan permission to torment him.  God doesn't have an evil spirit, but evil spirits are definitely under His command, and He could call them at any time to exact His purposes. 

(15) And Saul's servants said to him, "Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubles you. (16) Let our lord command your servants before you to seek out a man, a skillful player on a harp, and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon you, that he shall play with his hand, and you shall be well."

Saul's servants observed that he was troubled by an evil spirit.  They asked that they be allowed to seek out a harpist who would play when the evil spirit was upon him, as “music hath charms to sooth the savage breast.”

(17) And Saul said to his servants, "Provide me now a man who can play well and bring him to me." (18) Then answered one of the servants, and said, "Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is skillful in playing, a mighty valiant man, a man of war, prudent in matters, a handsome person, and the Lord is with him."

Saul told his servants to find him such a man.  One of his servants said he knew of a son of Jesse who was skillful in playing, as well as a valiant man of war who spoke well and was handsome, and most of all, the Lord was with him.  He had all the qualities that would make him fit to be in the palace of the king.  I find it interesting that the servants could tell that the Lord was with David, and that He had sent an evil spirit to Saul.  They could discern spirits, and it seemed just a simple matter of fact.

(19) Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, "Send me David your son, who is with the sheep." (20) And Jesse took a donkey with bread, a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son to Saul.

Saul sent messengers to Jesse and told him to send his son David to him.  Jesse took a donkey and loaded on it bread, a bottle of wine, and a kid goat, as gifts to the king, and he sent David with them to Saul.

(21) And David came to Saul and stood before him, and he loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer. (22) And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Let David, I pray you, stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight."

When David came before Saul, the king was very pleased with him, and he put him into his service.  The original word "keliy" that was translated as "armor" actually was transcribed most often as "vessel" or "instrument."  There is no evidence that David was an armor bearer for Saul, so it is most likely that he became a personal servant to Saul, bearing household vessels, or it may just be that he was a bearer of musical instruments.  Saul sent word to Jesse asking that David be allowed to stay with him as he had found favor with him.

(23) And it came to pass, when the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took a harp and played with his hand, so Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

David did stay with Saul, and whenever the evil spirit came upon Saul, David would play his harp for him, and Saul would become refreshed and well, and the evil spirit left him.  Certainly, it appears that Saul knew nothing of David's being anointed as his successor.  I believe it can be safely assumed that his anointing was done privately.  Had even his brothers known that David was to be king, that word would have spread quickly.

Promises for Obedience, Blessings vs. Cursing

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Deuteronomy 10:6) And the children of Israel took their journey from Beeroth of the children of Jaakan to Mosera; there Aaron died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest's office in his stead. (7) From there they journeyed to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of rivers of water.

In the last post Moses was making a speech to the people about how unrighteous they were, and that it was only by the mercy and grace of God, and because of the wickedness of the nations they were going in to possess, that they were being given that great land, certainly not for any righteousness of their own.  This verse and the next few seem to be a parenthetical pause in Moses's speech to the people.  Perhaps Moses was stating this in his speech, as he had been relating historical events, but it appears parenthetical nonetheless, whenever Moses said or wrote it.

The children of Israel had taken their journey from Beeroth to Mosera where Aaron died and was buried.  Mosera is said to be the desert of Mount Hor, where Aaron was said to have died and was buried according to Numbers 20:23-28.  Eleazar succeeded his father as high priest.  Some of the names of the other places don't exactly line up with the list of stations in Numbers 33, but most can be explained as in the case of Mosera and Mount Hor, that in one place a city may be mentioned and in another account the region of that city. 

In the last chapter and post, Moses had related how the people had made the golden calf, and that God had been angry enough to destroy them all, and He had also been very angry with Aaron.  Verse 6 shows that the Lord had been gracious in answering Moses's prayers and had reconciled with His people.  He continued to lead them on their journeys, and although Aaron had died, the Lord perpetuated the priest's office through Aaron's son who then became high priest in Aaron's place.  Then the Lord continued guiding His people in their journeys.

(8) At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister to Him and to bless in His name, to this day. (9) Therefore Levi has no portion nor inheritance with his brethren; the LORD is his inheritance, according as the LORD your God promised him.

These two verses are a continuation of the parenthetical pause.  Either meaning about that time, or perhaps when Eleazar became priest in Aaron's place, there was a renewal of the separation of the Levites to bear the ark of the covenant and to minister to the Lord in the priest's office.  The tribe of Levi had no portion or inheritance in the land of Canaan.  The Lord was the Levites' inheritance, and the Lord's portion, the tithes and offerings which belong to God, were given by Him to the Levites for their subsistence, from generation to generation.

(10) "And I stayed in the mount, according to the first time, forty days and forty nights; and the LORD hearkened to me at that time also, and the LORD would not destroy you."

Verse 10 returns to the words of Moses.  He spoke of the time he had received the second two tablets back from the Lord written by His finger.  He had stayed on the mountain another forty days and nights as he had the first time he had received the original tablets.  He commented that the Lord had listened to his prayer, as He had done many times before, and had relented from His plan to destroy them.

(11) "And the LORD said to me, 'Arise, take your journey before the people, that they may go in and possess the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.’"

Answering Moses's prayer and having relented of His plan to destroy His people, the Lord then told Moses to go on before the people and lead them onward to the land the Lord had promised their forefathers.

(12) “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, (13) To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command you this day for your good?"

Moses posed the question what did the Lord ask in return for all His mercy and forgiveness of their sins, and for His renewal of His promise to their forefathers?  Just that they turn to Him and obey Him--have a reverential fear of God as the Lord of life and all within the universe, to walk in the ways He told them to walk in His commandments, to love Him, and serve Him, and to keep all the commandments and statutes that Moses was now giving them again.  All these things were for their own good, as the ways of God meant life, and transgressions against His laws meant death.

(14) "Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD'S your God, the earth also, with all that is in it."

Moses reasoned that after all, God was indeed the maker and possessor of heaven and all the universe of heaven beyond what was seen and known by them; the earth was His and all that was in the earth, as well.

(15) "Yet the LORD had a delight in your fathers to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, you above all people, as it is this day."

Even though the entire universe and all that was in it was His, the Lord delighted in their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and loved them, and chose their descendants after them, these children of Israel, to be His very own people, above all other people, as it still was to that day Moses was speaking to them.

(16) “Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no more."

Moses exhorted the people to circumcise their hearts, by removing whatever was sinful to the Lord, all transgressions of the heart, all idolatry, etc., and to no longer be a stubborn people.  When Jesus came and told people He had not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it, and began to teach the spirit of the law, we see here that this spirit is what God intended all along with His laws.  It was not enough to merely circumcise the flesh, which was but an outward sign of purification, but they must purify their hearts and souls.  As Adam Clarke wrote so beautifully in his Commentary on the Bible, "Loving God with all the heart, soul, mind, and strength, the heart being circumcised to enable them to do it, was, from the beginning, the end, design, and fulfillment of the whole law."

(17) “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and terrible, who shows no partiality nor takes a reward."

Moses further extolled the Lord as God and Lord of all, the one and only true God, almighty and with awesome terror, who showed no partiality to any particular sort of person, and never exchanged favors for bribes, but was merciful and gracious according to His own pleasure and will, having nothing to do with any works of man, for after all, "There is none who does good, no, not one" (Psalm 14:3).

(18) "He does execute judgment for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing."

God's providence and judgment extends to all; He is Father to the fatherless, Protector and Provider for the widow, and loves the stranger, giving life and provision to all, even to the Gentiles, strangers to Israel.  As Jesus said in Matthew 6:26, “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"  God provides not only for His own people, and for the strangers, but to all living creatures.

(19) “Therefore love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt."

Moses exhorted the children of Israel to love the stranger, remembering that they were once strangers in the land of Egypt.  Jesus gave us that Golden Rule, “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 7:12).

(20) “You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall cleave, and swear by His name."

Moses further exhorted the people to have a reverential fear of the one true God, and to serve Him, clinging only to Him, and not turning aside to follow false idols, and to swear by His name only.

(21) “He is your praise, and He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrible things which your eyes have seen."

Their Lord God was the object and deserver of all praise.  He alone was the one who had done all the mighty and awesome wonders which they themselves had personally witnessed.

(22) “Your fathers went down to Egypt with seventy persons, and now the LORD your God has made you as the stars of heaven in multitude."

From so small a beginning, when Jacob went into Egypt with a total of seventy people, including himself (Genesis 46:27), the children of Israel had been multiplied to more than 600,000 (Numbers 26:51), as numerous as the stars appeared in heaven.

(Deuteronomy 11:1) “Therefore you shall love the LORD your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always."

Chapter 11 of Deuteronomy begins with Moses summing up the reasoning for loving the Lord and always keeping His commandments, because of who He was, and because of all the great and miraculous things He had done for them, including the multiplication of their numbers, the last thing he mentioned at the end of chapter 10.

(2) "And know this day that I do not speak with your children, who have not known and who have not seen the chastisement of the LORD your God, His greatness, His mighty hand, and His stretched out arm, (3) And His miracles, and His acts, which He did in the midst of Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and to all his land."

Moses exhorted the people to take notice that he did not speak to them as their descendants who had not personally seen the chastening of the Lord, or His mighty power and miracles that He had done in Egypt to Pharaoh.  It may be that Moses was only addressing the elders at this point, because the adult generation that had come out of Egypt had died in the wilderness.  However, their children, who would at this time be an elder generation, would have witnessed all the things that took place in Egypt.

(4) "And what He did to the army of Egypt, to their horses and to their chariots; how He made the water of the Red Sea overflow them as they pursued after you, and how the LORD has destroyed them to this day."

Moses continued describing the miraculous works of their Lord that these people would have witnessed themselves, when they came through the Red Sea parted by the Lord, and then He caused the sea to overflow the Egyptian armies of horses and chariots that had pursued them.  The effects of the destruction of Egypt were felt to that day.

(5) "And what He did for you in the wilderness until you came to this place."

They had seen all the ways the Lord had provided for them in the wilderness, leading them, feeding them with manna from heaven, providing water, etc.

(6) “And what He did to Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and all the substance in their possession, in the midst of all Israel."

They had also witnessed the chastisements of the Lord, how He opened the earth to swallow up Dathan and Abiram and all their households and belongings, openly before all Israel.  These chastisements were always for Israel's welfare, just as God's provisions were acknowledged to be.  The dangerous rebellion of Dathan and Abiram and Korah and his company threatened to destroy the entire nation of Israel if it had not been immediately crushed by the hand of the Lord.

(7) "But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the LORD which He did."

Moses summed up what he started in verse 2.  He was not speaking to their children, who did not personally witness all these things, but he spoke to the people who had personally known all these great acts of the Lord.

(8) “Therefore you shall keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land where you go to possess it."

Because these people had personal knowledge and experience with all the Lord was and what He did, they should know better than anyone to keep all the commandments of the Lord, that were designed for their good and would strengthen them and enable them to go in and possess their promised land.

(9) "And that you may prolong your days in the land, which the LORD swore to your fathers to give to them and to their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey."

Keeping the commandments of their Lord would allow their days to be prolonged in the land promised to their forefathers and their descendants, a land abounding in all good things.

(10) “For the land which you go in to possess is not like the land of Egypt from where you came out, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a garden of herbs."

Moses told the people the land they were going in to possess was not like the land in Egypt from where they had come.  I believe the message Moses was trying to convey is that this was not like the land in Egypt where they labored to sow their seed, and carried water to water it, or used their feet to dig furrows, in a garden they planted in the midst of the dry country that rarely had rain.

(11) "But the land, where you go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinks water of the rain of heaven."

Unlike Egypt that was mainly flat and dry desert, the land they were going to possess was a land of hills and valleys, and was watered, refreshed, and made fruitful by rain from heaven.  The Lord Himself watered this good land; the people would not have to labor so hard to bring water to their crops.

(12) "A land which the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year even to the end of the year."

This special land promised by God to His people was specially cared for by Him.  The eyes of the Lord were always on it from the beginning of the year to the end of it.  The Lord's eyes are everywhere, and all provisions come from Him, but in Israel's case, He had given His people the best land with His special blessings, if they would but follow His instructions in order to receive the best.

An interesting side note comes from something I read by John Wesley, in his Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible.  He wrote that later writers wrote what seemed to be a contradiction about the land of Canaan.  They described it as a barren soil, far from a land flowing with milk and honey.  As Wesley said, rather than questioning the authority of scripture, it rather confirmed it, that the land was blessed because God was in it, and barren when God was not.  As Psalm 33:12 states, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD..."

(13) "'And it shall come to pass, if you shall hearken diligently to My commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, (14) That I will give you the rain of your land in its due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your corn, and your wine, and your oil.'"

Moses, speaking the words of God Himself, said that if the people would diligently follow His commandments, and would love and serve Him with all their hearts, He would give them rain in due season.  That is, it would first rain at seed time, and later rain, as needed, before harvest.  Again this rather confirms that if God did not bless the land with His rain, it would indeed be a barren land.

(15) "'And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled.’"

This is a continuation of the thought started in verse 13, that if they followed the Lord's commandments, they would have rain when best needed for their crops, and grass as needed for their livestock, so that they would be well fed.

(16) "Take heed to yourselves, that your heart not be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them, (17) And the LORD'S wrath be aroused against you, and He shut up the heaven that there be no rain, and the land does not yield its fruit, and you perish quickly from the good land which the LORD gives you."

Moses warned the people not to allow themselves to be deceived and turn aside to other gods.  Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, pointed out reasonably, that the people might come to observe the influence of the sun, moon, and stars, upon their land, an influence put in motion by God Himself, but the objects falsely worshiped by heathen nations.  However, their hearts were just as likely to be deceived by any number of false worship they witnessed from neighboring nations.  The Lord, that jealous God, ever zealous in His protection of His people, would turn from them, shutting up heaven stopping the rain, and their land would no longer yield its fruit and they would perish from the land the Lord was giving to them.

(18) “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes."

Moses exhorted the people to treasure the words he had spoken, specifically the word of God and His laws, in their hearts and in their whole being.  Their eyes should constantly be fixed on the word of God; as signs bound on their hands and foreheads, they should always be in view, on their minds and in their souls.

(19) “And you shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up."

They were to teach their children God's laws, speaking about them constantly, whether in their houses or in public; they were to be an ongoing way of life--living and teaching the word of God from the moment they woke till the time they retired.

(20) “And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, (21) That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth."

They should write the laws on the doorposts of their houses and on their gates, again as constant reminders when they were leaving and upon their return, and also as a sign to other passers by.  Again they were to do all these things that their days and the days of their children might be long in the land the Lord had sworn to their forefathers before them.

(22) “For if you diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave to Him, (23) Then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and you shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves."

On the eve of their entering their promised land to possess it, Moses declared to the people the promise of their Lord that if they diligently kept His commandments, loved and held fast to Him, and walked in His ways, He would drive out all the nations from before them, and they would possess the nations that had been greater and mightier than they were.

(24) “Every place on which the soles of your feet tread shall be yours, from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even to the uttermost sea shall your coast be."

Every place in their promised land of Canaan that they trod upon would be their possession, from the wilderness of Paran in the south to Lebanon in the north, and from the Euphrates River on the eastern side to the Mediterranean Sea which was the western-most coast.  This map shared on Pinterest shows the Promised Land as described in this verse:

(25) “No man shall be able to stand against you; the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that you shall tread upon, as He has said to you."

No man in the places within the borders of the promised land upon which they would tread, would be able to stand against the children of Israel, because their Lord would would put fear and dread upon all the inhabitants of the land, who would hear of all the mighty works of God to bring His people to this place.  This was originally prophesied in the song at the Red Sea (Exodus 15:14), and the Lord had indeed told them this in Deuteronomy 2:25.

(26) “Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; (27) A blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day; (28) And a curse, if you will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which you have not known."

Moses conveyed to the people that they had been presented with a choice between blessing and a curse.  If they obeyed the commandments of their Lord, which were instructions for life, they would have the blessings that would naturally occur as a result of living right.  That's not to say that God couldn't or wouldn't personally give them extra blessings, but the laws of God are about life and blessing, so following them and walking in the ways of God, does in itself bring blessing.  The people would be choosing a curse if they chose to disobey God's commandments and turn away from Him to go after false gods they had never known, choosing to leave what is certain blessing for unknown mysteries, which always lead to depravity and death.

(29) "And it shall come to pass, when the LORD your God has brought you into the land which you go to possess, that you shall put the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal."

When the Lord had brought them into their promised land, the Israelites were to designate two mountains, one as a mountain of blessings, and the other as a mountain of cursings.  These two mountains were and are parallel to each other, Mount Gerizim being southward, and Mount Ebal northward, and the valley of Shechem in between.  As seen in the photo below, also shared on Pinterest, the mountains are very similar in height and shape: 

"Gerizim" meant "cut off" or "cut down", by implication "cutters down" or "reapers", perhaps designating reapers of harvest from a fertile land.  "Ebal" meant "bald" or "bare", surely implying a barren mountain.  Although it may not be as noticeable now as it was then, Adam Clarke, who lived in the late 1700's and early 1800's, wrote, "That Gerizim is very fruitful, and that Ebal is very barren, is the united testimony of all who have traveled in those parts. See Ludolf, Reland, Rab, Benjamin, and Mr. Maundrell."  How could it be that two mountains so similar in height and shape and so close together, be so different?  It can only be by the providence of God that one can be so fertile, and that without God, one is cursed to barrenness.

(30) “Are they not on the other side of the Jordan, toward the setting sun, in the land of the Canaanites who dwell in the champaign opposite Gilgal, beside the plains of Moreh?"

Moses further described the location of the two mountains that would be designated as a mountain of blessing and a mountain of cursing.  They were across the Jordan River in the land of Canaan in the plain opposite Gilgal beside the plains of Moreh, near Shechem, which is in the valley between the two mountains.  The following map shows the location of the two mountains in Canaan:

John Wesley made an interesting observation regarding the plains of Moreh:  "This was one of the first places that Abram came to in Canaan. So that in sending them thither to hear the blessing and the curse, they were minded of the promise made to Abram in that very place, Gen.12:6-7."

(31) "For you shall pass over the Jordan to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God gives you, and you shall possess it, and dwell in it."

Moses assured the children of Israel that they would indeed cross over the Jordan River and claim their promised land and would live in it.

(32) "And you shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments which I set before you this day."

Moses further proclaimed that the people would observe and follow all the Lord's statutes and judgments that Moses was giving to the people.  Of course, that is the only way that ensured their continual possession of their promised land.  To be able to achieve what Moses stated in verse 31 was to do what Moses said in verse 32.

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 1

Continuing with a chronological Bible study designed by Skip Andrews:

(Numbers 26:1) And it came to pass, after the plague, that the LORD spoke to Moses and Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying, (2) “Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, throughout their fathers' houses, all who are able to go to war in Israel.”

In the last chapter and post, Israel had suffered a plague because of their adultery and idolatry, and 24,000 of them died.  At this time, after that plague, the Lord told Moses and Eleazar, Aaron's son, the priest, to take a census of the Israelites throughout all their families to count those who were twenty years and older and able to go to war.  I imagine there were some who were much older than twenty who were not able-bodied enough to go to war.

(3) And Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho, saying, (4) “Take the sum of the people, from twenty years old and upward, as the LORD commanded Moses and the children of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt.”

Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with the Israelites, perhaps the heads of their families, telling them to take a census of the men, twenty years and older, just as the Lord had commanded they do when they came out of Egypt, back in Numbers 1:2-3.  The congregation of Israel was still in the plains of Moab by the Jordan River across from Jericho.

(5) Reuben, the eldest son of Israel: the children of Reuben--Hanoch, of whom came the family of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the family of the Palluites; (6) Of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the family of the Carmites.

The census began with the oldest son of Jacob or Israel, that is Reuben, and his four sons, Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi, and their four resulting families.

(7) These are the families of the Reubenites, and they who were numbered of them were forty-three thousand seven hundred and thirty.

All of the Reubenites, twenty years and older, able-bodied for war, totaled 43,730.  Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, made a chart of the number of each tribe at the earlier census at Mount Sinai and compared it to the present census.  The Reubenites had decreased by 2770 men in 38 years.  Although their numbers had surely increased over 38 years' time, they had been decreased by plagues.

(8) And the son of Pallu was Eliab. (9) And the sons of Eliab--Nemuel, and Dathan, and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram who were famous in the congregation, who strove against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they strove against the LORD. (10) And the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men; and they became a sign.

The son of Reuben's son Pallu was Eliab.  Eliab's sons were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram.  Dathan and Abiram were the ones who teamed up with Korah to come against Moses and Aaron in chapter 16 of Numbers.  At that time the earth opened up and swallowed Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and the company of 250 men who had offered improper incense, and they had become a sign to Israel that no man outside the line of Aaron, the priests, was to offer incense before the Lord. Additionally, 14,700 people had died in a plague immediately following this incident because they complained about Moses and Aaron killing the people of the Lord.  This incident was repeated here to explain why there were no descendants of Dathan and Abiram to be counted.  There don't appear to be any descendants of Nemuel to be counted, unless they were counted as Palluites.

(11) Nevertheless the children of Korah did not die.

The children of Korah did not die in the events reported in chapter 16 of Numbers.  Although we were told that "all that appertained" to Korah was destroyed, this appears to have been only those in his company that came against Moses and Aaron and offered the improper incense.  We were told specifically in Numbers 16:27 that the wives and children of Dathan and Abiram joined them, but apparently the family of Korah did not.

Because Blogger limits the number of labels per post, and because all these names are of importance, I have separated chapter 26 into multiple posts.  To continue the study on chapter 26:

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 2

The Rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Numbers 16:1) Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi; and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men.

In the last chapter of Numbers, God had reiterated His laws of sacrifice and offerings, demonstrating He had been reconciled to His people since the time He sentenced them to die in the wilderness.  He also told the people what was to be done to a person who willfully sinned against God.  Here in Numbers 16, we have the record of a historical incident.

In the sixth chapter of Exodus we learned that Korah was the son of Izhar, who was the son of Kohath, the son of Levi.  Izhar's brother was Amram, the father of Aaron and Moses; therefore Korah was a first cousin to Moses and Aaron.  Dathan and Abiram were the sons of Eliab.  In the first chapter of Numbers we learned that Eliab was the son of Helon, of the tribe of Zebulun.  On was the son of Peleth, and they were descendants of Reuben.  On this occasion, Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On, gathered men with them.

(2) And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown.

Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On gathered 250 prominent leaders of the congregation, and they rose up against Moses.  It is really incredible that so soon after God had demonstrated what was to be done with those who presumptuously sinned with a "high hand", that these men would do this, but here we are.

(3) And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them; therefore, why do you lift up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?"

Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On, together with the 250 leaders of the congregation they had gathered, came against Moses and Aaron.  They declared to them that they took too much upon themselves, elevated themselves too much above the rest of the congregation.  I imagine they saw Moses elevating himself to be ruler over all of them and taking it upon himself to designate Aaron as high priest.  Referring to what the Lord had told them in Exodus 19:6, they declared that they were all holy, because they were to the Lord "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation".  Why was it then that Moses and Aaron elevated themselves above the rest of the congregation?

(4) And when Moses heard it, he fell on his face.

When Moses heard what the men said, he fell on his face, surely in prayer to the Lord.  He certainly understood they sinned in opposing the instructions of God, and feared and revered the Lord's sovereignty in this matter.  Moses, being a very humble man, may have also prayed that his heart be searched and that he not be found to be puffed up and elevating himself.

(5) And he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will show who is His and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him; that one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him."

Surely received in answer to his prayer, Moses told Korah he would let the Lord publicly show the next morning whom He considered His and whom were holy.  He would bring His holy ones to Himself, demonstrating to all the ones He personally chose.

(6) “Do this: take censers, Korah and all your company."

Moses instructed Korah and all the men with him to take censers that were to put incense in to offer.

(7) "And put fire in them and put incense in them before the LORD tomorrow, and it shall be that the man whom the LORD chooses shall be holy; you take too much on yourselves, you sons of Levi.”

Moses instructed them to put fire and incense in their censers before the Lord the next day.  He pronounced that it would be that the man the Lord chose would be the holy one.  Moses then threw their own words back at them, declaring they had elevated themselves too much.  By adding "you sons of Levi" indicates most of the men must have been from the tribe of Levi, although we were told specifically in verse 1 above that On was a descendant of Reuben.  I assumed that Dathan and Abiram were the sons of the same Eliab who was in the first chapter of Numbers said to be the son of Helon, of the tribe of Zebulun.  I suppose it's possible it was another Eliab, since verse 1 didn't specifically say this Eliab was from the tribe of Zebulun.  Regardless, it does seem reasonable to assume the majority of the men were Levites, or at least in agreement it should be other Levites who should be considered holy and able to do what they perceived Aaron was chosen by Moses to do.

(8) And Moses said to Korah, “Hear, I pray you, you sons of Levi."

Moses spoke directly to Korah, who seems to be the ringleader of this group, and besought him to hear his words.

(9) "Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them?"

Moses pointed out to Korah the privilege he had as a Levite, that he had been chosen by the God of Israel to do the service of His own tabernacle and to minister to His people.  He asked Korah if that was an insignificant thing; did Korah find that honor beneath his dignity?

(10) "And He has brought you near to Himself, and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? Do you seek the priesthood also?"

Moses continued his question to Korah.  Was it an insignificant thing that the God of Israel had brought him near to Him, he and all his brothers, the sons of Levi, to do His service and minister to His people?  Was that not enough; did he seek the priesthood also?

(11) "For which cause you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD; and what is Aaron, that you murmur against him?"

Moses continued questioning Korah.  Was it because he felt the role that God had given him was too insignificant and that he wanted the priesthood, also, that he and his company had gathered together against the Lord?  Furthermore, what was his problem with Aaron?  What had Aaron done to warrant their complaints and murmuring against him?  After all, it was God who had called him to the priesthood; he had not taken it upon himself to raise himself up to such a high office.

(12) And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come up!"

Moses called Dathan and Abiram to come up before him, but they refused.  I don't quite understand why Dathan and Abiram, from the tribe of Zebulun, were in this rebellious company of Levites, unless as discussed before they were a different Dathan and Abiram.  As has also been discussed before, when one starts sowing discord, others often join in.  It has been suggested by some Biblical scholars that perhaps the Reubenites were angry that the tribe of Judah had the first post of honor in the camp; both the Reubenites and Kohathite Levites were to march on the south side of the tabernacle, and maybe their proximity to each other led to their murmuring with each other.  That might explain On's concerns, but he is not mentioned here.

(13) “Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except that you make yourself altogether a prince over us?"

Dathan and Abiram refused to go before Moses, but did convey their contempt for him in a manner that he heard.  They threw his words for them back at him; was it a small thing that he had brought them out of a land flowing with milk and honey, a blasphemous contempt for God's promise, using God's words for His promised land to describe Egypt, where they had lived in captivity.  Was it a small thing Moses had brought them out of that great Egypt to kill them in the wilderness, only to make himself ruler over them?

(14) “Moreover you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards; will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up!”

Dathan and Abiram continued with their rant against Moses.  They accused him of not bringing them into a land flowing with milk and honey, as promised, and he had not given them an inherited land of fields and vineyards.  Would Moses put out the eyes of those men with them?  I believe the meaning is would he so blind them and persuade them that they did not actually see what was before them.  Again they declared they would not go before Moses.

(15) And Moses was very angry, and said to the LORD, “Do not respect their offering; I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I hurt one of them.”

Moses was very angry and prayed to the Lord that He not accept their offering of incense the next day (v. 7 above).  Moses further declared his innocence from their accusations, saying he had never taken so much as a donkey from them, nor had he ever done any injury to any one of them.

(16) And Moses said to Korah, "You and all your company be before the LORD, you, and they, and Aaron, tomorrow."

Moses told Korah to be before the Lord the next day, with all his company of 250 rebels.  Aaron would be there, as well.

(17) "And let every man take his censer and put incense in it, and each of you bring his censer before the LORD, two hundred and fifty censers; both you and Aaron, each with his censer.”

Moses continued instructing Korah; when they came before the Lord the next day, each man was to bring his censer, meaning 250 censers before the Lord.  Aaron was also to bring his censer.

(18) And every man took his censer, put fire in it, laid incense on it, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron.

I assume this was the next morning.  Every man of the 250 rebels took his censer, put fire and incense in it, and stood at the door of the tabernacle with Moses and Aaron.

(19) And Korah gathered all the congregation against them at the door of the tabernacle of meeting; and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the congregation.

Korah gathered all the congregation against Moses and Aaron at the door of the tabernacle.  Perhaps this was a reiteration of the fact that Korah had gathered all his company of 250 rebels, but perhaps it meant that he continued sowing discord and inciting as many of the congregation as he could against Moses and Aaron.  Then the glory of the Lord appeared to the congregation.

(20) And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, (21) “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.”

The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and told them to separate themselves from the congregation at the door of the tabernacle, so that He might consume them in an instant.

(22) And they fell on their faces, and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will You be angry with all the congregation?”

Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in prayer before the Lord.  It does indeed seem as if Korah had gathered more of the congregation with him than just the 250 initial rebels.  Moses and Aaron pleaded with the Lord that He not be angry with all of the congregation because of what one man started.

(23) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (24) “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get up from around the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’”

In an apparent answer to their prayers, the Lord told Moses to tell the congregation to get away from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.  It seems that these rebels had raised their own tabernacle.  Either that, or they had returned to their tents.  Perhaps it was the section of the tabernacle where they had congregated.  Whatever tabernacle was meant, the main point is that the other congregation was to get away from those three.  On was never again mentioned after verse 1.  Perhaps he had repented and left the others, or maybe he just never made himself as remarkable as did Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and just fell in among the group of 250 rebels.

(25) And Moses rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.

Moses rose up, probably from the ground where he had fallen on his face in prayer before the Lord, and went to Dathan and Abiram, presumably because they still refused to come to him.  The elders of Israel followed Moses.  These were probably the seventy elders who had been chosen to assist Moses in chapter 11 of Numbers.

(26) And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins.”

Moses spoke to the congregation who were around Dathan and Abiram and pleaded with them to get away from the tents of the wicked men, Dathan and Abiram, and to touch nothing of theirs so they would not be consumed with them in their sins.  Departing from them represented their deserting the cause of Dathan and Abiram, a turning away of their sins.

(27) So they got up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.

The congregation got away from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, from all around them.  Once again there is reference to a tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.  It seems they must have had their own tabernacle of sorts where they all gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron.  Dathan and Abiram came out and stood in the door of their tents, with all members of their families, probably in a defiant manner, not at all daunted by Moses's threats that they would be consumed in their sins.

(28) And Moses said, “By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own mind."

Moses spoke to the people, surely to Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, but probably to all the people within hearing (because they had moved away).  By what was to come next they would know with certainty that it was the Lord who had sent Moses to do all the works, "these" probably referencing the ones they objected to, like appointing Aaron high priest, and even the bringing of the people out of Egypt out of that "land flowing with milk and honey" (v. 13).  Moses said he had not devised them himself and done them in an arbitrary way, without the will of God or any authority from Him, as these men had insinuated.

(29) “If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me."

Moses declared that if these men died of natural causes, or by some common cause such as famine or pestilence or if killed by man or beast, then it meant the Lord had not sent him to do the things he had done.

(30) “But if the LORD makes a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that pertains to them, and they go down quick into the pit; then you shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD."

However, if the Lord did something that had never been done before, as opposed to the common or natural causes mentioned in verse 29, and Moses went on to name the specific new thing:  if the earth opened up and swallowed up the men and they went alive into the pit the earth's opening made for them, then the people would understand that these men had provoked the Lord.  The word "quick" used here doesn't mean "quickly" but rather "living" as in "the quick and the dead".  This verse indicates that Moses certainly spoke to others of the congregation as well as these rebels; otherwise how would there be anyone left to understand if the earth swallowed up all the ones to whom Moses spoke.

(31) And it came to pass, as he had finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them.

As soon as Moses had finished saying the words, the ground indeed split apart under them.

(32) And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men with Korah, with all their goods.

The earth opened up and literally swallowed them up, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, with their houses and all their goods.

(33) Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, they, and all that pertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the congregation.

Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and all the people and things pertaining to them, went down into the pit, and the earth closed in over them; thus they perished from among the congregation.

(34) And all Israel that were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up also.”

The congregation that were still around them, probably at some distance, since verse 27 suggests they all moved away from Dathan and Abiram, fled at this point, upon hearing the cries of the men swallowed up by the earth, for fear that the earth would swallow them, as well.

(35) And there came a fire out from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who offered incense.

At that point a fire came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, had gathered, the ones who had offered incense in their censers (v. 17).

(36) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (37) "Speak to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter the fire yonder; for they are hallowed."

The Lord spoke to Moses and told him to tell Eleazar, the son of Aaron, to take up the censers out of the fire that burned and consumed the 250 rebels because the censers were holy.  He was to tell him to scatter the fire, either from the incense burners, or ashes from the burned out area, away from the altar and sanctuary, in an unclean place where the ashes were to be cast.

(38) "The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar, for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign to the children of Israel."

The censers of the sinful rebels who by offering the incense caused their deaths, were holy because they had been offered before the Lord.  Therefore the Lord wanted them to be beaten into broad plates for a covering for the altar.  In that way they would be an everlasting ever visible sign to remind the people of this incident.

(39) And Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar.

Eleazar did as he was instructed and took the censers that had been gathered out of the fire that had consumed the 250 rebels, and they were indeed made into broad plates for a covering for the altar.

(40) To be a memorial to the children of Israel that no outsider, who is not of the seed of Aaron, should come near to offer incense before the LORD, that he might not become like Korah and his companions, as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.

Eleazar did this to be an ever visible reminder to the children of Israel that no one who was not a descendant of Aaron was to come near to offer incense before the Lord, lest he become like Korah and his rebels.  Just as the Lord had commanded through Moses he do, so he did.

(41) But on the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the LORD.”

Incredibly, after witnessing what could only have been the action of the Almighty, sovereign, and all-knowing Lord, the next day the people began complaining against Moses and Aaron, saying that they had killed the people of the Lord.  It would seem they meant they caused their killing by bringing the Lord into the matter.  How absurd to think the Lord would not see, or that He would punish only on the word of Moses and Aaron without knowing the facts!  Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, gave the people the benefit of the doubt, and suggested that the people must have persuaded themselves that Moses and Aaron had used some cunning tricks to make the earthquake and fire, "else, had they discerned the hand of God in this punishment, could they have dared the anger of the Lord in the very face of justice?"  Mr. Clarke found it completely unbelievable that the people could have done this had they realized it was the action of their Lord.  Personally, I don't see how they couldn't know it was the work of the Lord, but here they are accusing Moses and Aaron.

(42) And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.

While the people were gathered against Moses and Aaron and accusing them of killing the people of the Lord, they looked toward the tabernacle and saw in the cloud that covered it some visible and obvious manifestation of the Lord.  While we have been told in other places that no one could actually see God and live, we know that this must have been a clear sign to the people that this was indeed God in the cloud.

(43) And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation.

Moses and Aaron went before the tabernacle to the presence of the Lord.

(44) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (45) “Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” And they fell on their faces.

The Lord told Moses to get away from the people so that He could instantly destroy them.  Once again, Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in prayer and intercession for the people.  It occurs to me that they were a type of Christ in this, a constant intercessor for the people.  The continual sinning of the people, even after they had seen such awesome and unmistakable works of their Lord, is an illustration of our constant need for our Savior.

(46) And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put on incense, and go quickly to the congregation, and make an atonement for them, for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun."

Moses told Aaron to take his censer, put fire in it from the altar of burnt offering, from which fire only was to be taken for burning incense, put on the incense, and go quickly to the congregation to make atonement for them.  He told Aaron to move quickly to atone for the people for a plague had already gone out from the Lord that was destroying them.

(47) And Aaron took it as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation, and, behold, the plague had begun among the people; and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.

Aaron took his censer as Moses had commanded he do, and he ran into the midst of the congregation.  Indeed the plague had begun.  Aaron put incense in his censer and made an atonement for the people.  The incense offering that had brought the death of those who offered it unlawfully with unauthorized hands, was now being offered by the true priest, the only one who could atone for the sins of the people.  Once again, this is a picture of the coming Christ, who alone could save the people.  By no other means can a person be saved but by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

(48) And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.

We are not told what kind of plague this was, but it apparently started at one end and was moving across the congregation, as Aaron was able stand between the dead and the living.  When Aaron offered the incense to atone for the people, the plague was stopped.  It is noteworthy that Aaron ran into the midst of the plague that was moving rapidly to kill the people, especially considering the Lord had told Moses to move away from the people so that He could instantly consume them.  It would seem Aaron risked his own life to save the lives of others, others who did not deserve it, others who could have been seen as his enemies in that they had come against him.  Once again, this is a beautiful illustration of the Christ to come, the One who gave His life to save sinners deserving death, the One killed by His enemies, but He interceded and asked that they be forgiven, because they didn't know what they were doing (Luke 23:34).  Aaron was a type of Christ, the Christ who came into the world to make an atonement for sin and to turn away the wrath of God, the One who stands between the living and the dead, to save His people from eternal death in hell.

(49) Now those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died in the matter of Korah.

14,700 died in that rapidly moving plague!  That did not include the 250 who died with Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.  It occurs to me that this is part of prophecy being fulfilled when the Lord said in Numbers 14:29 that their carcasses would fall in the wilderness.

(50) And Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; and the plague was stayed.

Aaron returned to the door of the tabernacle to Moses, and the plague was stopped.  Perhaps the meaning is that it continued to be stopped even after Aaron was removed from the midst of the congregation.  I can't help but think of Jesus Christ who offered His life for atonement of sins and returned to the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 10:12).  By His sacrifice, we are completely and permanently saved from the sins we will undoubtedly commit, if we only accept His sacrifice.

The Israelites' Removal from Sinai to Paran, Part 1

(Numbers 10:13) And they first took their journey according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

In verse 12 at the end of the last post, we were told that the pillar of cloud lifted and the children of Israel moved from the wilderness of Sinai to the wilderness of Paran where the cloud again rested.  The people set out on this first journey according to the commandment of the Lord that had been earlier described as the movement of the cloud, and by the directions that had been given to Moses and were carried out by him as follows:

(14) In the first place went the standard of the camp of the children of Judah according to their armies; and over his host was Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

Numbers 2 explained the four standards, the tribes grouped under each standard, where they should camp, and the order of their marching.  The Israelites under the standard of Judah were to move first; these included the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.  These were camped on the east side and had been instructed in Numbers 2:9 to move out first.  The captain of the tribe of Judah was Nahshon, the son of Amminadab.

(15) And over the host of the tribe of the children of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar.

The captain of the tribe of Issachar that was also under the standard of Judah, was Nethanel, the son of Zuar.

(16) And over the host of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon.

The captain of the host or army, if you will, of the children of Zebulun was Eliab, the son of Helon.  The tribe of Zebulun also moved under the standard of Judah.

(17) And the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set forward, bearing the tabernacle.

The tabernacle was taken down; according to Numbers 1:51, this would have been done by the Levites.  Then specifically the Gershonites and Merarites moved forward carrying the tabernacle.  Numbers 3 described the tribes of the sons of Levi and their particular duties as it related to the moving of the tabernacle.  The Gershonites were responsible for the tent, the skin covering, and all the curtains and linen hangings of the tabernacle.  The Merarites carried the boards of the tabernacle, including all the bars, pillars, and sockets.

(18) And the standard of the camp of Reuben set forward according to their armies; and over his host was Elizur the son of Shedeur.

Next the standard of Reuben moved forward.  According to Numbers 2, the standard of Reuben camped on the south side, and the tribes under that standard were Reuben, Simeon, and Gad.  The captain of the host of Reuben was Elizur, the son of Shedeur.

(19) And over the host of the tribe of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

The captain of the host of the tribe of Simeon, which was under the standard of Reuben, was Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai.

(20) And over the host of the tribe of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

The captain of the army of Gad, which was also under the standard of Reuben, was Eliasaph, the son of Deuel.

(21) And the Kohathites set forward, bearing the sanctuary; and the other did set up the tabernacle before they came.

Next the Kohathites moved forward, carrying the holy things, including the Ark of the Covenant with the mercy seat, the showbread table, the gold candlestick, the altars, and all the vessels and furnishings of the sanctuary.  The Gershonites and Merarites, who had marched before the Kohathites, had the tabernacle set up before the Kohathites came with the holy things.

Because Blogger limits the number of labels I can have per post, I will continue this in the next post:

The Israelites' Removal from Sinai to Paran, Part 2