I am following a chronological Bible study, the order of which was suggested by Skip Andrews. It is supposed that this psalm refers to the sentence passed on the Israelites that they would remain in the wilderness forty years and die there, never entering their promised land, as studied in the last post on Numbers 14.
(Psalm 90:1) [A Prayer of Moses the man of God.]
Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
This psalm is identified as a prayer of Moses. He began by recognizing that the Lord had been the people's resting place throughout their generations. Even when they had no real dwelling place of their own, their Lord was their resting place, refuge, and defense.
(2) Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
Before the earth was ever formed, before the mountains and the dust of the earth were formed, before the inhabited world as they knew it, from eternity before time began to eternity that will continue after time has ended, always and forever, with no beginning and no end, Moses declared God to be the one true God.
(3) You turn man to destruction,
And say, “Return, you children of men.”
There are several ways to look at this verse. Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, described it as God turning man to destruction or death, and returning him to dust. Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, said it appeared to be "a clear and strong promise of the resurrection of the human body" after death. My first thought and the view of still other commentaries is that God turns men to destruction to turn them back to Him. I have come to learn that is the ultimate motive of God, to bring His children back to Him, back to their only source of life and salvation. How many times does a terrible tragedy bring people to God? How many times have people had to hit rock bottom and get to the end of themselves before they turn to God? Does God cause that tragedy? Or does He just use it? That is a debate among Christians. I have people in my own family who believe God never does anything bad, so He would never cause a tragedy. But if that tragedy brought people to their only hope of salvation, was it bad? Didn't even Jesus say if your eye or arm or foot offends you, cut if off, for it is better to enter heaven maimed than to be whole in hell? (Matthew 5:29-30 and 18:8-9; Mark 9:47) If He tells us to cut off our arms to save ourselves, would He not lovingly cut them off for us to save us? I believe scripture is pretty clear that God will use any means necessary to turn us back to Him. How awesome and truly loving is that?!
The original word that was translated as "destruction" was "dakka", and it literally meant "crushed" like powder, figuratively "contrite". In fact, in the two other places in scripture where the word was used, it was defined as "contrite". I believe the true meaning is that God brings man low, in whatever form it takes, whether maimed or depressed or without anything, to bring him back to Him. Maybe it is the death of one or several people that will bring others to Him. Does God sacrifice some to save others? There was a time in my life when I believed this wasn't fair, especially considering the early death of my father. But God is always fair and just and loving, so we don't have to worry about that. Because God knows everything that has been, is now, and will be, He knows whether or not a person would have accepted Him or His son Jesus Christ. If He takes out evil people to save others, that is good. If He takes out His own people who do accept His gift of salvation, then you can be sure those people have eternal life with Him, so that is definitely good! If He apparently takes out people who just haven't come to Him yet, again He knows the heart and what would have happened, so you can be sure He will be fair and just. You don't have to figure out whether or not God is just; it's His very nature; He can't help but be! Perhaps a person dying young is fulfilling their purpose in the kingdom of God, and will have a rich reward in heaven. I think about the incident where Jesus and His disciples saw a man that was blind from birth. The disciples asked Him who it was who sinned, the man himself or his parents, that he should be blind. Jesus said that neither did, that he was blind so that the work of God could be revealed in Him at this time, when Jesus healed him.
This brings me to another revelation I've had. I know people who believe that we are all "healed", in their minds, they believe we are all physically healed, so that no time should we ever be in poor health, if only we would accept His word that we are healed. In the case of the blind man above, that just isn't true. He could never be healed until the point where God's purpose was fulfilled. That was this man's purpose for the kingdom of God! Jesus healing him at that point was an illustration of how Jesus alone can save us from hell. When Jesus comes into our lives, He heals us from death and destruction. That doesn't mean we don't die physically, so why should it mean that we have to be physically healed if we trust Jesus? In both cases, I believe it is a healing and salvation from eternal death. That's not to say that God doesn't still presently heal people; and if that is their purpose, that through their healing, people are brought to Him, then He will do it. However, sometimes people may be brought to Him through the death of a loved one, and that was His purpose for the one who died. We should not mourn for those who have gone to their reward in Heaven. We mourn our loss, but there is no need to mourn for them. When we truly understand that this world is not where we receive our rewards, but it is in heaven, we can willingly accept and delight in God's purpose for our lives. The sixth chapter of Matthew continually speaks about how people who do things for worldly praise, have their own reward, but those who do things for God will be rewarded by Him, and His reward is everlasting!
(4) For a thousand years in Your sight
Are as yesterday when it is past,
And as a watch in the night.
I believe the meaning is that a thousand years in God's sight are gone in the blink of an eye when compared to eternity. As soon as it has occurred, it is gone in the past as yesterday. A watch in the night was just a portion of the night. As a night was divided into three watches, a single watch was only a portion of the night, an even smaller portion than a 24-hour day. A thousand years to God are not only as a day, but as a small portion of a day.
(5) You carry them away as with a flood;
They are as a sleep;
In the morning they are like grass which grows up.
Those thousand years are swept away as in a mighty torrent, or perhaps it means that men who are turned to destruction (v. 3) are carried away in an instant in comparison to an eternity with God. They (the years or men's lives) are as a sleep, the sense being they pass as quickly as time during a sleep. I had difficulty with the last part of this verse. Some commentaries suggest that the lines should have been separated as "They are as a sleep in the morning" and "They are like grass which grows up". Either way, I still struggle with grass that grows. This doesn't create an image for me of time passing as quickly as the blink of an eye, but then again, grass grows visibly each day, much faster than the life of a man or a thousand years. The original word that was translated as "grows up" was "chalaph" and literally meant "slide by", by implication meaning "hasten away", "spring up", or even "change". Indeed, grass springs up and fades away quickly, especially when compared to eternity.
(6) In the morning it flourishes and grows up;
In the evening it is cut down and withers.
It's not my experience with the grass in my yard, but perhaps in the hot desert climates, grass springs up from the dew in the morning, and withers from the heat of the day and is brought or cut down in the evening. Certainly that is the meaning of this verse--in the short period of a day, what was so green and flourishing in the morning, is, at the close of the day, dried up. So it is with man's life in God's eternity.
(7) For we are consumed by Your anger,
And by Your wrath are we troubled.
This verse could be seen two different ways. It could be a continuation of the idea that man's life is but a quick flicker in God's eternity. Death originally occurred because of sin against God; therefore mankind is consumed or brought to death by God's displeasure beginning with His sentence given to Adam:
"In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” - Genesis 3:19
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin;
and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. - Romans 5:12
By God's wrath, man is troubled. Since the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden, man has been plagued with troubles. It could also be that Moses was beginning to lament their present situation. The people were indeed to be consumed by God's anger, and would die in the wilderness, never entering their promised land.
(8) You have set our iniquities before You,
Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.
The causes of all trouble, consumption, and death--that is, the sins of man--are before the Lord as the evidence according to which He as a righteous Judge proceeds. Even the secret sins of man's heart are in full view of the Lord, and in accordance with these, God righteously judges man.
(9) For all our days are passed away in Your wrath;
We end our years like a sigh.
The original KJV translated this verse as, "For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told." The italicized words are ones the translators added for what they thought would be a clearer understanding. Most all the other translations were similar to what I transcribed above. When I looked at the Strong's definitions of the words in question, in each case the first meaning seems to be the most appropriate. The word translated by KJV as "spend" was "kalah" and the first definition was "end", followed by "cease, be finished, perish"; indeed it was translated as "end" or "consumed" most often in the Bible. One of the last definitions and one that is used almost the least often in scripture is "spend", so I feel very comfortable accepting the translation "end". The word that was translated as "tale" by KJV and "sigh" by most of the other translations was "hegeh" and it literally meant "muttering (in sighing, thought, or as thunder)". It was used only three times in scripture, translated as "mourning", "sound", and "tale". However, consider the root word "hagah", which means "to murmur (in pleasure or anger); by implication to ponder: - imagine, meditate..." That word was used much more often in scripture and was most often translated as "meditate"; although "mourn" and "speak" were also translations, many other words like "imagine", "study", "mutter", and "utter" were used. In keeping with the theme of the lines thus far, I believe the meaning is that man's life is ended because of God's righteous anger against his sin, and that his life passes away as rapidly as a thought or a sigh.
(10) The days of our lives are seventy years;
And if by reason of strength they are eighty years,
Yet their strength is labor and sorrow;
For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
Moses apparently stated a fact that the life of man was on average about seventy years or perhaps eighty for the stronger men. It is a fact that by Moses's time men lived a much shorter time than in the days before the flood when men lived hundreds of years. However, we will find later that Moses himself lived to be 120, Aaron was 123, Miriam was 130, and Joshua was 110 when they died. It does seem that men lived an average of 120 years in Moses's time. In Genesis 6:3, God proclaimed that the days of man would be 120 years. Why would Moses proclaim the days of man would be 70 to 80 years? This question caused Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, to state that this psalm could not have possibly been written by Moses, at least this Moses. While all transcriptions attributed it to Moses, the man of God, Mr. Clarke wrote if that were true, it would have to have been another Moses. I don't see that that must be the case. Once again, Moses could be lamenting their present circumstance. Those who were numbered in the wilderness of Sinai, from twenty years and upwards, were now condemned to die in the wilderness sometime in the next 38 years. Some would necessarily die in their 50's and 60's, but an average could certainly be 70 and probably no more than 80. At this time in Moses's life, 70-80 years could have seemed the average lifespan to him; even in our current time we would say that is the average lifespan, even though many people live past 100.
Although the days of their lives be 70 years, maybe longer by reason of strength, that strength was only through toil and sorrow, and it was soon cut off anyway, and they flew away, either intimating they disappeared as quickly as a bird flies away, or maybe referencing that they flew away to heaven. Interestingly, the word translated as "sorrow" is "aven" and means "in vain, nothingness". This reminds me of the lines in Ecclesiastes that declare all is vanity or nothingness. The sense of these lines by Moses above probably is something to the effect of "The days of our lives; what are they? Just toil and sorrow and then they are cut off!"
(11) Who knows the power of Your anger?
Even according to the fear of You, so is Your wrath.
Who can truly comprehend or measure the power of God's anger? That anger that had been expressed in His judgments against men's sins in truly awesome and powerful ways in the past? Consider the drowning of the whole world in Noah's time, the burning and destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the immediate striking dead of men in the wilderness, etc. Who could possibly understand the expanse of His power under any circumstances, but Moses contemplated His power expressed in anger. Even as God was awesome, great, and powerful beyond man's comprehension, so was His wrath.
(12) So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Moses prayed that the Lord instruct them to estimate their days correctly, understanding how quickly they pass, and the uncertainty of when they might suddenly end, that they might gain a wise heart. They should live wisely in God's favor looking forward to eternity, understanding that life on earth is short and uncertain. They should live every day as if it were their last, so to speak.
(13) Return, O LORD!
How long?
And let it turn You concerning Your servants.
Moses pleaded with the Lord to return to His people, showing mercy and sparing them. He wondered how long this expression of His wrath would last. He pleaded that the Lord turn from His expression of wrath against His people, withdrawing His judgment, and showing mercy to them.
(14) Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy,
That we may rejoice and be glad all our days!
Moses prayed that the Lord satisfy them with the answer to their prayers by showing mercy soon, literally in the morning, presumably the next morning. He asked this that the people might rejoice and be glad all their lives, remembering God's love, grace, and mercy, at this time in their lives.
(15) Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us,
The years we have seen evil.
The prayer seems to be that the people be glad in proportion to their affliction. Considering all their time in captivity and their time in the wilderness, Moses was praying that their joy be so great as to make up for all their years of affliction. In fact, as stated in Romans 8:18, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us", there really is no comparison between the evils of this world and the joy and gladness in Heaven. However, I imagine Moses was praying for the people's hearts to be joyful in great measure comparable to the great misery they had endured in this present life.
(16) Let Your work appear to Your servants,
And Your glory to their children.
I believe the meaning is that Moses asked that the Lord's great work in what he prayed for at that time, God's mercy in withdrawing His judgment on His people, be done, and seen, and truly appreciated by His people. In addition, His glory, displayed in the acts of providence and grace for which Moses prayed, would be known and celebrated by their children. Put simply, Moses's prayer was that all the glory be given to God in answering his request.
(17) And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,
And establish the work of our hands on us;
Yes, establish the work of our hands.
The word translated as "beauty", "noam", literally means "agreeableness". Moses prayed that the pleasure of the Lord be upon His people, and that He would guide them in their work and endeavors. The fact that this last part was repeated suggests an intense desire that God would enable them to carry out their plans; in this case, it was surely that they be allowed to reach their promised land.
According to Albert Barnes, if this was truly a prayer of Moses, as stated in verse 1, then it was "the only one of his compositions which we have in the Book of Psalms". We had a song of Moses recorded in Exodus 15, and there is another song of his recorded in Deuteronomy 32. Whereas the original word "mizmor" translated as "psalm" literally means "song" or "poem set to notes", this particular psalm was said to be a "tephillah", meaning "intercession", "supplication", "prayer". However, this prayer was very poetic, and it seems appropriate that it be considered among the psalms. The next post will return to Numbers 15, after this intermission of poetic prayer and supplication by Moses.
Saturday, November 24, 2018
Sunday, November 4, 2018
The Israelites Are Sentenced to Wandering in the Wilderness for Forty Years
Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Numbers 14:1) And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
At the end of the last chapter and post, ten of the twelve men who had spied out the land of Canaan that the Lord had already stated He was giving them and driving out its inhabitants, came back with a bad report that the land was filled with giants and fortified cities and that there was no way they could go up against those people. At the news of this, the people cried throughout the night. So it appears that none of the congregation believed as Caleb did in the last chapter, that all they had to do was to go in and possess the land the Lord had already given them. They all believed the bad report rather than the word of their Lord God.
(2) And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!"
Once again, as seen before, a few sowed discord, and soon the entire congregation was complaining about Moses and Aaron, and actually saying to them that they wished they had died in Egypt or in this wilderness rather than to be brought to this moment in time. Spoiler alert--be careful what you wish for!
(3) "And why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should be prey? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”
Incredibly, the people start complaining against the Lord, too. Why had He brought them to this land only to be killed, not just them, but their wives and children to be innocent victims of beasts of prey. After all the miraculous things they had seen the Lord do for them, they now thought it better that they return to their life in bondage in Egypt. It's just unbelievable to me when I read this, but I know in so many ways that while God is carrying us through difficult situations, we may become frightened and doubtful, and long to go back within our comfort zones, unwilling to possess the great things the Lord is trying to give us. It's easy to see that those degenerate Israelites acted so foolishly and in rebellion to their Lord; it's often that we cannot see ourselves accurately. But what a wonderful lesson to remind us that we should always remember the continual blessings of our Lord, and never doubt Him by allowing our hearts to be troubled by our present situations. The same Lord who has brought us to this present time is well able to continue to carry us through! Why do we always try to put limits on God? I know in my case, sometimes it's not that I doubt that He can do something, but that He will do it in a particular case. Sometimes I feel unworthy to expect that He will do something for me. Then I am reminded that of course, I am unworthy! We are all unworthy! (Rom. 3:10 and 23) But He loves us in spite of that! He cares about every hair on our heads (Luke 12:7); He works all things to the good of those who love Him (Rom. 8:28); He wants to prosper and not harm us (Jer. 29:11). God is all good, all loving, all faithful, and sees all things that are and will be, so we can completely trust Him. Regarding the limits we put on God, I recall a perfect analogy in the book, The Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel, that I read some years ago. Just as we cannot comprehend the mind and abilities of God, and may not recognize what God is doing in our present situation is actually good, compare that to the mind and abilities of a person with a wounded bear. The bear will feel attacked when it is shot with a tranquilizer gun, not realizing that the man is actually doing that to save it. Our simple human selves cannot comprehend the mind of God and what He is doing to save us, but we know that we can always trust Him.
(4) And they said one to another, "Let us make a captain, and let us return to Egypt."
Astonishingly, the people actually decided among themselves to appoint a captain, rejecting Moses, and selecting a new leader who would lead them back to Egypt. What madness! Not only were they going back to bondage, but suggesting they leave the care and provision of their Lord? Who was going to feed them every day as had been the case in their journey to this point? Or did they expect that even after they had rejected their Lord, His word, and His servant Moses, that He would bless and provide for them all the way back into their captivity? I liken this one to our country and the motto that "God Bless America". We ask Him to bless us even though we kill millions of innocent babies, celebrate homosexuality and immorality in all sorts of forms, etc. What madness! It comes down to a simple choice between life everlasting with our Lord or death with the ways of the world:
"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live." - Deuteronomy 30:19
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." - Galatians 5:1
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." - Psalm 14:12
"You adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." - James 4:4
Once again, if we are an enemy of God, can we expect Him to bless us? Can we survive without the blessing of God? Consider these verses:
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD..." - Psalm 33:12a
"The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." - Psalm 9:17
"For the nation and kingdom which will not serve You shall perish, and those nations shall be utterly wasted." - Isaiah 60:12
"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." - Proverbs 14:34
What's a person to do when his country has gone mad and is wicked? There will be blessed people within a cursed nation:
"If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?...Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest; this shall be the portion of their cup. For the righteous LORD loves righteousness; his countenance beholds the upright." - Psalm 11:3, 6-7
"But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him." - Acts 10:35
"And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt." - Genesis 19:29
Now back to the 14th chapter of Numbers:
(5) Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.
Obviously, Moses and Aaron recognized the madness of what the people suggested, and fell on their faces in prayer for this ungrateful lot.
(6) And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had searched the land, tore their clothes.
Joshua and Caleb who had been among the twelve spies who searched out the land, obviously recognized the blasphemous madness of the people, too. They tore their clothes in mourning over what they heard.
(7) And they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, “The land we passed through to search, is an exceedingly good land. (8) If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey."
Joshua and Caleb pleaded with the people, assuring them that the land was indeed an exceedingly good land flowing with milk and honey. They pointed out that if the Lord delighted in them, He would bring them into the land and give it to them, recognizing that provoking the Lord in this manner after all He had done and promised to them, was not the way to bring the promise to fruition.
(9) “Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their defense has departed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them."
Joshua and Caleb continued pleading with the people, trying to reassure them that with their Lord with them, they had nothing to fear. Having complete faith in what the Lord had told them, that He would drive out the inhabitants from before them to give them this land, they reasoned those inhabitants were merely bread to them, meaning either they could be devoured as bread, or maybe that all their substance would now be the provision (bread) for the Israelites.
(10) But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.
Incredibly, the people would not listen to the wisdom of Joshua and Caleb, and started calling for them to be stoned! It was at this point that the Lord intervened, and His glory in a visible manifestation appeared in the tabernacle before all the people.
(11) And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will these people provoke Me? And how long will it be before they believe me, with all the signs which I have shown among them?"
The Lord spoke to Moses. The word "provoke" generally means to us to incite anger, but the original word "naats" also meant "scorn, despise, blaspheme", which would understandably provoke. With all the visible miraculous signs God had shown the people, He asked how long it would be before they would believe and trust in Him.
(12) “I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”
The Lord continued speaking to Moses, declaring He would strike the people with pestilence and disinherit them, and make from Moses a greater nation with whom He would continue His covenant.
(13) And Moses said to the LORD: “Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by Your might You brought these people up from among them, (14) And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land; they have heard that You, LORD, are among these people; that You, LORD, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. (15) Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, (16) 'Because the LORD was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He has killed them in the wilderness.’"
Moses answered the Lord, interceding for this ungrateful and undeserving people. Perhaps it was also (maybe more so) because he did not want such actions to diminish His Lord in the eyes of the world, as suggested by his words. He reasoned that if the Lord killed His people and disinherited them, the Egyptians, from whom the Lord had rescued His people, would hear about it. Word would spread to Canaan. These other people had heard that the Lord was seen among His people, visible in the pillar of cloud and fire, leading them through the wilderness to their promised land. Moses reasoned that if the Lord killed all His people in one fell swoop, then the other nations would believe that it was because He was unable to bring them into the land He had sworn to give them.
(17) "And now, I beseech You, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying, (18) ‘The LORD is longsuffering and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation.’"
Moses begged the Lord to let His power be shown to the world as great. Moses prayed according to the word of His Lord (Exodus 34:6-7), in which he held as truth that the Lord was patient and merciful, forgiving iniquity and sin. Also remembering His word, Moses realized this by no means meant the guilty should be let off completely scot-free. His prayer appears to be (although he realized the Lord would visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations) that He not utterly destroy them, thus destroying their succeeding generations. He knew the people must be punished, but pleaded that they not be utterly destroyed.
(19) "Pardon, I beseech You, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Your mercy, and as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”
Moses pleaded with the Lord to forgive them according to the greatness of His mercy. I believe the suggestion here is that the greatness of the Lord's mercy was much greater than the great sin of the people. He acknowledged that the Lord had exercised His great capacity to forgive these people on multiple occasions from the time they left Egypt until now, and he pleaded that He do it again.
(20) And the LORD said, “I have pardoned, according to your word."
The Lord agreed to pardon the people according to Moses's prayerful request, not completely, to be sure, but in that He would not utterly destroy them. Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, put it this way, "Here is a whole nation rescued from ruin by the effectual fervent prayer of one righteous man", a direct reference to James 5:16.
(21) “But truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD."
The Lord continued speaking with Moses, in the form of an oath, that all the earth indeed would be filled with His glory. Perhaps this was also in answer to prayer. Moses had shown great concern for the glory of His Lord. In this response, the Lord assured him that in whatever manner He chose to deal with this people, the earth would indeed know that it was by His power and glory.
(22) "Because all those men who have seen My glory and My miracles which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted Me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to My voice, (23) Surely they shall not see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who provoked Me see it."
The Lord went on to proclaim that all those men of His people who had witnessed His miracles, but had rejected and rebelled against Him ten times, would not see the land that He had sworn to their fathers. Some of the commentaries I study suggested that ten was the number indicating completeness, the sense being that the measure of their provocation was now full. Others enumerate exactly ten times when the people rebelled against the Lord: twice at the sea, twice concerning water, twice about manna, twice about quails, once by the calf, and once in the wilderness of Paran.
(24) “But My servant Caleb, because he had a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall possess it."
None of the people would see the land except for Caleb, who had a different spirit in him than the other men and had followed the Lord fully. The Lord would bring Caleb into the land and his descendants would possess it. Joshua is not mentioned here, but we will see later he is included. Perhaps as Moses's servant, his faithfulness was taken for granted, but the Lord took this opportunity to recognize Caleb.
(25) “Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley; tomorrow turn and move out into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.”
Whereas before the Lord had promised to drive out the inhabitants from before them to give them this land, now He proclaimed them an enemy to be feared, and told them to turn back the next day, and move into the wilderness back toward the Red Sea.
(26) And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, (27) “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who murmur against Me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they make against Me."
The Lord still speaking to just Moses and Aaron, seemed to wearily ask how long He would have to put up with this unfaithful and ungrateful lot who complained against Him, as He had heard all their grumblings.
(28) “Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you.'"
It was at this point that the Lord told Moses and Aaron to tell the people what He had decided to do with them. They were to tell the people that just as they had murmured and wished for, He would do to them.
(29) "'Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, who have murmured against me, (30) Undoubtedly, you shall not come into the land which I swore I would make you dwell in, except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.'"
The Lord said to tell the people that they would indeed die in the wilderness just as they had called for in verse 2. All those mighty men who had been before counted, from twenty years old and upward, who had murmured against the Lord, would not come into the land the Lord had promised to give them. He made an exception for Caleb and Joshua, who had trusted their Lord.
(31) "‘But your little ones, whom you said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.'"
However, their children, whom the people had said in verse 3 should be prey for the Canaanites, the Lord would bring into the promised land and they would get to know and enjoy the land which their fathers had rejected.
(32) "‘But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness.'"
Once again the Lord reiterated that this present generation would die in the wilderness.
(33) "'And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcasses are wasted in the wilderness.'"
The children would have to wander in the wilderness forty years because of their fathers' several acts of infidelity and faithlessness, until the time when the fathers had all died in the wilderness.
(34) "‘According to the number of the days in which you searched the land, forty days, each day for a year, you shall bear your iniquities forty years, and you shall know My breach of promise.'"
The Israelites would be made to wander in the wilderness forty years, a year for each day that they searched out the land, content to wait forty days for the testimony of men because they would not take God's word; and therefore they are justly kept forty years waiting for the fruition of God's promise. God would never actually breach His promise; the meaning of the original word "tenuah", translated as "breach of promise" here, means more of an alienation for a time, or a turning away for a time. The only other place in scripture it was used was in Job 33:10 where it was translated as "occasions"; in neither case was it a permanent breach of promise. All the biblical commentaries I study agree that this would be an additional 38 1/2 years in the wilderness added to the year and a half it had been since they left Egypt, totaling forty years in the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt. In this time a new generation would be raised up, and the children, being brought up bearing their fathers' whoredoms, the punishment of their sins, might take warning not to tread in the steps of their fathers' disobedience. Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, made it a point that God made them to wander in the wilderness; they couldn't do anything else! They would be unable to make for themselves a captain and go back to Egypt (v. 4), but would die in the wilderness as they had wished (v. 2).
(35) "'I the LORD have said, I will surely do it to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me; in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.'"
As the Lord had spoken, He vowed to surely do to all that evil congregation who had gathered against Him, faithless and ungrateful for all He had done, turning from Him, wishing to go back to the bondage in Egypt. They would all be consumed and die in the wilderness.
(36) And the men whom Moses sent to search the land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing a slander on the land, (37) Even those men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the LORD.
The ten men of the twelve who had been sent out to spy on the land, the ones who came back with a slanderous report about the land and stirred up the congregation to complain against Moses, even those chosen spies died by the plague before the Lord. The original word translated as "plague", that is "maggephah", meant "plague, pestilence", and even "slaughter". Dr. John Gill wrote in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, that the Jews' traditional relating of the story was that the men were eaten by worms that came out of their bodies. Whatever form it took, I'm sure it was immediate and understood by all to be by the hand of God.
(38) But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were of the men who went to search the land, remained alive.
Joshua and Caleb, two of the twelve spies, were spared and did not die in the plague, because they believed God and did not participate in the delivery of the bad report. Some of the commentaries I study pointed out that it was very probable that the twelve spies stood together, making it very remarkable that just the ten with the bad reports fell dead before the congregation, and these two remained alive.
(39) And Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly.
Moses told the people what the Lord had told him to tell them about how they would never see the promised land, but would wander in the wilderness forty years and die there. The people greatly mourned, but whether it was for true repentance, or just on account of the evil that was coming to them, we don't really know.
(40) And they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the LORD has promised, for we have sinned!”
The next morning the people went up to the top of the mountain which was the way the spies had gone into the land of Canaan, saying they were now ready to go into the land the Lord had promised them. They seemed to acknowledge they had sinned in believing the bad report, but in this action, they were ignoring the word of God that they would not go into the promised land, but would die in the wilderness.
(41) And Moses said, “Why now do you transgress the command of the LORD? For this will not succeed. (42) Do not go up, for the LORD is not among you, that you be not smitten before your enemies. (43) For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned away from the LORD, the LORD will not be with you.”
Moses pointed out to the people they were again transgressing the word of the Lord. He had said they would not enter the promised land, so their attempt to go into it would not succeed. He told them not to go up the mountain and into the land because the Lord was not with them to protect them from being killed by their enemies, the Amalekites and the Canaanites, the current inhabitants of the land.
(44) But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop. Nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed from the camp.
Incredibly, in an audacious and presumptuous manner, the people continued up the mountaintop, ignoring Moses's warning. A flood of thoughts come to me when I consider how often we continue with our godless ways, ignoring what God has said about certain topics like life and marriage and sexual purity and idolatry. Again I think of how we dare to say, "God Bless America" when we are a country killing innocent babies and celebrating homosexual marriage, a thing God called an abomination. God cannot bless this country, yet we think we can continue in our ways without His blessing? Indeed the actions of the Israelites at this point are perfect illustrations of our current ways.
Neither the ark of the covenant nor Moses departed from the camp. I believe the point here is that the cloud of the Lord which rested over the ark was not taken up indicating they should move forward. Neither the Lord nor Moses were with them, yet they moved forward anyway.
(45) Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and smote them, and beat them back as far as Hormah.
Sure enough, the Amalekites and Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and killed the Israelites, and drove those they did not kill back to Hormah. Bible scholars are not sure where this was exactly, but you can be sure it was far enough back into the wilderness to prevent the people from thinking they should try that again. It was probably "into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea", as the Lord had told them to go in verse 25. I like the words of Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, regarding this episode:
How vain is the counsel of man against the wisdom of God! Nature, poor, fallen human nature, is ever running into extremes. This miserable people, a short time ago, thought that though they had Omnipotence with them they could not conquer and possess the land! Now they imagine that though God himself go not with them, yet they shall be sufficient to drive out the inhabitants, and take possession of their country! Man is ever supposing he can either do all things or do nothing; he is therefore sometimes presumptuous, and at other times in despair. Who but an apostle, or one under the influence of the same Spirit, can say, I can do All Things Through Christ who strengtheneth me?
This chapter told how it came to be that the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years, when they could have reached their promised land in a much shorter time. Matthew Henry summed up this chapter this way: "This chapter gives us an account of that fatal quarrel between God and Israel upon which, for their murmuring and unbelief, he swore in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest."
(Numbers 14:1) And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
At the end of the last chapter and post, ten of the twelve men who had spied out the land of Canaan that the Lord had already stated He was giving them and driving out its inhabitants, came back with a bad report that the land was filled with giants and fortified cities and that there was no way they could go up against those people. At the news of this, the people cried throughout the night. So it appears that none of the congregation believed as Caleb did in the last chapter, that all they had to do was to go in and possess the land the Lord had already given them. They all believed the bad report rather than the word of their Lord God.
(2) And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!"
Once again, as seen before, a few sowed discord, and soon the entire congregation was complaining about Moses and Aaron, and actually saying to them that they wished they had died in Egypt or in this wilderness rather than to be brought to this moment in time. Spoiler alert--be careful what you wish for!
(3) "And why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should be prey? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”
Incredibly, the people start complaining against the Lord, too. Why had He brought them to this land only to be killed, not just them, but their wives and children to be innocent victims of beasts of prey. After all the miraculous things they had seen the Lord do for them, they now thought it better that they return to their life in bondage in Egypt. It's just unbelievable to me when I read this, but I know in so many ways that while God is carrying us through difficult situations, we may become frightened and doubtful, and long to go back within our comfort zones, unwilling to possess the great things the Lord is trying to give us. It's easy to see that those degenerate Israelites acted so foolishly and in rebellion to their Lord; it's often that we cannot see ourselves accurately. But what a wonderful lesson to remind us that we should always remember the continual blessings of our Lord, and never doubt Him by allowing our hearts to be troubled by our present situations. The same Lord who has brought us to this present time is well able to continue to carry us through! Why do we always try to put limits on God? I know in my case, sometimes it's not that I doubt that He can do something, but that He will do it in a particular case. Sometimes I feel unworthy to expect that He will do something for me. Then I am reminded that of course, I am unworthy! We are all unworthy! (Rom. 3:10 and 23) But He loves us in spite of that! He cares about every hair on our heads (Luke 12:7); He works all things to the good of those who love Him (Rom. 8:28); He wants to prosper and not harm us (Jer. 29:11). God is all good, all loving, all faithful, and sees all things that are and will be, so we can completely trust Him. Regarding the limits we put on God, I recall a perfect analogy in the book, The Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel, that I read some years ago. Just as we cannot comprehend the mind and abilities of God, and may not recognize what God is doing in our present situation is actually good, compare that to the mind and abilities of a person with a wounded bear. The bear will feel attacked when it is shot with a tranquilizer gun, not realizing that the man is actually doing that to save it. Our simple human selves cannot comprehend the mind of God and what He is doing to save us, but we know that we can always trust Him.
(4) And they said one to another, "Let us make a captain, and let us return to Egypt."
Astonishingly, the people actually decided among themselves to appoint a captain, rejecting Moses, and selecting a new leader who would lead them back to Egypt. What madness! Not only were they going back to bondage, but suggesting they leave the care and provision of their Lord? Who was going to feed them every day as had been the case in their journey to this point? Or did they expect that even after they had rejected their Lord, His word, and His servant Moses, that He would bless and provide for them all the way back into their captivity? I liken this one to our country and the motto that "God Bless America". We ask Him to bless us even though we kill millions of innocent babies, celebrate homosexuality and immorality in all sorts of forms, etc. What madness! It comes down to a simple choice between life everlasting with our Lord or death with the ways of the world:
"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live." - Deuteronomy 30:19
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." - Galatians 5:1
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." - Psalm 14:12
"You adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." - James 4:4
Once again, if we are an enemy of God, can we expect Him to bless us? Can we survive without the blessing of God? Consider these verses:
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD..." - Psalm 33:12a
"The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." - Psalm 9:17
"For the nation and kingdom which will not serve You shall perish, and those nations shall be utterly wasted." - Isaiah 60:12
"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." - Proverbs 14:34
What's a person to do when his country has gone mad and is wicked? There will be blessed people within a cursed nation:
"If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?...Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest; this shall be the portion of their cup. For the righteous LORD loves righteousness; his countenance beholds the upright." - Psalm 11:3, 6-7
"But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him." - Acts 10:35
"And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt." - Genesis 19:29
Now back to the 14th chapter of Numbers:
(5) Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.
Obviously, Moses and Aaron recognized the madness of what the people suggested, and fell on their faces in prayer for this ungrateful lot.
(6) And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had searched the land, tore their clothes.
Joshua and Caleb who had been among the twelve spies who searched out the land, obviously recognized the blasphemous madness of the people, too. They tore their clothes in mourning over what they heard.
(7) And they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, “The land we passed through to search, is an exceedingly good land. (8) If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey."
Joshua and Caleb pleaded with the people, assuring them that the land was indeed an exceedingly good land flowing with milk and honey. They pointed out that if the Lord delighted in them, He would bring them into the land and give it to them, recognizing that provoking the Lord in this manner after all He had done and promised to them, was not the way to bring the promise to fruition.
(9) “Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their defense has departed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them."
Joshua and Caleb continued pleading with the people, trying to reassure them that with their Lord with them, they had nothing to fear. Having complete faith in what the Lord had told them, that He would drive out the inhabitants from before them to give them this land, they reasoned those inhabitants were merely bread to them, meaning either they could be devoured as bread, or maybe that all their substance would now be the provision (bread) for the Israelites.
(10) But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.
Incredibly, the people would not listen to the wisdom of Joshua and Caleb, and started calling for them to be stoned! It was at this point that the Lord intervened, and His glory in a visible manifestation appeared in the tabernacle before all the people.
(11) And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will these people provoke Me? And how long will it be before they believe me, with all the signs which I have shown among them?"
The Lord spoke to Moses. The word "provoke" generally means to us to incite anger, but the original word "naats" also meant "scorn, despise, blaspheme", which would understandably provoke. With all the visible miraculous signs God had shown the people, He asked how long it would be before they would believe and trust in Him.
(12) “I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”
The Lord continued speaking to Moses, declaring He would strike the people with pestilence and disinherit them, and make from Moses a greater nation with whom He would continue His covenant.
(13) And Moses said to the LORD: “Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by Your might You brought these people up from among them, (14) And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land; they have heard that You, LORD, are among these people; that You, LORD, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. (15) Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, (16) 'Because the LORD was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He has killed them in the wilderness.’"
Moses answered the Lord, interceding for this ungrateful and undeserving people. Perhaps it was also (maybe more so) because he did not want such actions to diminish His Lord in the eyes of the world, as suggested by his words. He reasoned that if the Lord killed His people and disinherited them, the Egyptians, from whom the Lord had rescued His people, would hear about it. Word would spread to Canaan. These other people had heard that the Lord was seen among His people, visible in the pillar of cloud and fire, leading them through the wilderness to their promised land. Moses reasoned that if the Lord killed all His people in one fell swoop, then the other nations would believe that it was because He was unable to bring them into the land He had sworn to give them.
(17) "And now, I beseech You, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying, (18) ‘The LORD is longsuffering and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation.’"
Moses begged the Lord to let His power be shown to the world as great. Moses prayed according to the word of His Lord (Exodus 34:6-7), in which he held as truth that the Lord was patient and merciful, forgiving iniquity and sin. Also remembering His word, Moses realized this by no means meant the guilty should be let off completely scot-free. His prayer appears to be (although he realized the Lord would visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations) that He not utterly destroy them, thus destroying their succeeding generations. He knew the people must be punished, but pleaded that they not be utterly destroyed.
(19) "Pardon, I beseech You, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Your mercy, and as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”
Moses pleaded with the Lord to forgive them according to the greatness of His mercy. I believe the suggestion here is that the greatness of the Lord's mercy was much greater than the great sin of the people. He acknowledged that the Lord had exercised His great capacity to forgive these people on multiple occasions from the time they left Egypt until now, and he pleaded that He do it again.
(20) And the LORD said, “I have pardoned, according to your word."
The Lord agreed to pardon the people according to Moses's prayerful request, not completely, to be sure, but in that He would not utterly destroy them. Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, put it this way, "Here is a whole nation rescued from ruin by the effectual fervent prayer of one righteous man", a direct reference to James 5:16.
(21) “But truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD."
The Lord continued speaking with Moses, in the form of an oath, that all the earth indeed would be filled with His glory. Perhaps this was also in answer to prayer. Moses had shown great concern for the glory of His Lord. In this response, the Lord assured him that in whatever manner He chose to deal with this people, the earth would indeed know that it was by His power and glory.
(22) "Because all those men who have seen My glory and My miracles which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted Me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to My voice, (23) Surely they shall not see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who provoked Me see it."
The Lord went on to proclaim that all those men of His people who had witnessed His miracles, but had rejected and rebelled against Him ten times, would not see the land that He had sworn to their fathers. Some of the commentaries I study suggested that ten was the number indicating completeness, the sense being that the measure of their provocation was now full. Others enumerate exactly ten times when the people rebelled against the Lord: twice at the sea, twice concerning water, twice about manna, twice about quails, once by the calf, and once in the wilderness of Paran.
(24) “But My servant Caleb, because he had a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall possess it."
None of the people would see the land except for Caleb, who had a different spirit in him than the other men and had followed the Lord fully. The Lord would bring Caleb into the land and his descendants would possess it. Joshua is not mentioned here, but we will see later he is included. Perhaps as Moses's servant, his faithfulness was taken for granted, but the Lord took this opportunity to recognize Caleb.
(25) “Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley; tomorrow turn and move out into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.”
Whereas before the Lord had promised to drive out the inhabitants from before them to give them this land, now He proclaimed them an enemy to be feared, and told them to turn back the next day, and move into the wilderness back toward the Red Sea.
(26) And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, (27) “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who murmur against Me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they make against Me."
The Lord still speaking to just Moses and Aaron, seemed to wearily ask how long He would have to put up with this unfaithful and ungrateful lot who complained against Him, as He had heard all their grumblings.
(28) “Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you.'"
It was at this point that the Lord told Moses and Aaron to tell the people what He had decided to do with them. They were to tell the people that just as they had murmured and wished for, He would do to them.
(29) "'Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, who have murmured against me, (30) Undoubtedly, you shall not come into the land which I swore I would make you dwell in, except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.'"
The Lord said to tell the people that they would indeed die in the wilderness just as they had called for in verse 2. All those mighty men who had been before counted, from twenty years old and upward, who had murmured against the Lord, would not come into the land the Lord had promised to give them. He made an exception for Caleb and Joshua, who had trusted their Lord.
(31) "‘But your little ones, whom you said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.'"
However, their children, whom the people had said in verse 3 should be prey for the Canaanites, the Lord would bring into the promised land and they would get to know and enjoy the land which their fathers had rejected.
(32) "‘But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness.'"
Once again the Lord reiterated that this present generation would die in the wilderness.
(33) "'And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcasses are wasted in the wilderness.'"
The children would have to wander in the wilderness forty years because of their fathers' several acts of infidelity and faithlessness, until the time when the fathers had all died in the wilderness.
(34) "‘According to the number of the days in which you searched the land, forty days, each day for a year, you shall bear your iniquities forty years, and you shall know My breach of promise.'"
The Israelites would be made to wander in the wilderness forty years, a year for each day that they searched out the land, content to wait forty days for the testimony of men because they would not take God's word; and therefore they are justly kept forty years waiting for the fruition of God's promise. God would never actually breach His promise; the meaning of the original word "tenuah", translated as "breach of promise" here, means more of an alienation for a time, or a turning away for a time. The only other place in scripture it was used was in Job 33:10 where it was translated as "occasions"; in neither case was it a permanent breach of promise. All the biblical commentaries I study agree that this would be an additional 38 1/2 years in the wilderness added to the year and a half it had been since they left Egypt, totaling forty years in the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt. In this time a new generation would be raised up, and the children, being brought up bearing their fathers' whoredoms, the punishment of their sins, might take warning not to tread in the steps of their fathers' disobedience. Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, made it a point that God made them to wander in the wilderness; they couldn't do anything else! They would be unable to make for themselves a captain and go back to Egypt (v. 4), but would die in the wilderness as they had wished (v. 2).
(35) "'I the LORD have said, I will surely do it to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me; in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.'"
As the Lord had spoken, He vowed to surely do to all that evil congregation who had gathered against Him, faithless and ungrateful for all He had done, turning from Him, wishing to go back to the bondage in Egypt. They would all be consumed and die in the wilderness.
(36) And the men whom Moses sent to search the land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing a slander on the land, (37) Even those men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the LORD.
The ten men of the twelve who had been sent out to spy on the land, the ones who came back with a slanderous report about the land and stirred up the congregation to complain against Moses, even those chosen spies died by the plague before the Lord. The original word translated as "plague", that is "maggephah", meant "plague, pestilence", and even "slaughter". Dr. John Gill wrote in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, that the Jews' traditional relating of the story was that the men were eaten by worms that came out of their bodies. Whatever form it took, I'm sure it was immediate and understood by all to be by the hand of God.
(38) But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were of the men who went to search the land, remained alive.
Joshua and Caleb, two of the twelve spies, were spared and did not die in the plague, because they believed God and did not participate in the delivery of the bad report. Some of the commentaries I study pointed out that it was very probable that the twelve spies stood together, making it very remarkable that just the ten with the bad reports fell dead before the congregation, and these two remained alive.
(39) And Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly.
Moses told the people what the Lord had told him to tell them about how they would never see the promised land, but would wander in the wilderness forty years and die there. The people greatly mourned, but whether it was for true repentance, or just on account of the evil that was coming to them, we don't really know.
(40) And they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the LORD has promised, for we have sinned!”
The next morning the people went up to the top of the mountain which was the way the spies had gone into the land of Canaan, saying they were now ready to go into the land the Lord had promised them. They seemed to acknowledge they had sinned in believing the bad report, but in this action, they were ignoring the word of God that they would not go into the promised land, but would die in the wilderness.
(41) And Moses said, “Why now do you transgress the command of the LORD? For this will not succeed. (42) Do not go up, for the LORD is not among you, that you be not smitten before your enemies. (43) For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned away from the LORD, the LORD will not be with you.”
Moses pointed out to the people they were again transgressing the word of the Lord. He had said they would not enter the promised land, so their attempt to go into it would not succeed. He told them not to go up the mountain and into the land because the Lord was not with them to protect them from being killed by their enemies, the Amalekites and the Canaanites, the current inhabitants of the land.
(44) But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop. Nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed from the camp.
Incredibly, in an audacious and presumptuous manner, the people continued up the mountaintop, ignoring Moses's warning. A flood of thoughts come to me when I consider how often we continue with our godless ways, ignoring what God has said about certain topics like life and marriage and sexual purity and idolatry. Again I think of how we dare to say, "God Bless America" when we are a country killing innocent babies and celebrating homosexual marriage, a thing God called an abomination. God cannot bless this country, yet we think we can continue in our ways without His blessing? Indeed the actions of the Israelites at this point are perfect illustrations of our current ways.
Neither the ark of the covenant nor Moses departed from the camp. I believe the point here is that the cloud of the Lord which rested over the ark was not taken up indicating they should move forward. Neither the Lord nor Moses were with them, yet they moved forward anyway.
(45) Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and smote them, and beat them back as far as Hormah.
Sure enough, the Amalekites and Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and killed the Israelites, and drove those they did not kill back to Hormah. Bible scholars are not sure where this was exactly, but you can be sure it was far enough back into the wilderness to prevent the people from thinking they should try that again. It was probably "into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea", as the Lord had told them to go in verse 25. I like the words of Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, regarding this episode:
How vain is the counsel of man against the wisdom of God! Nature, poor, fallen human nature, is ever running into extremes. This miserable people, a short time ago, thought that though they had Omnipotence with them they could not conquer and possess the land! Now they imagine that though God himself go not with them, yet they shall be sufficient to drive out the inhabitants, and take possession of their country! Man is ever supposing he can either do all things or do nothing; he is therefore sometimes presumptuous, and at other times in despair. Who but an apostle, or one under the influence of the same Spirit, can say, I can do All Things Through Christ who strengtheneth me?
This chapter told how it came to be that the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years, when they could have reached their promised land in a much shorter time. Matthew Henry summed up this chapter this way: "This chapter gives us an account of that fatal quarrel between God and Israel upon which, for their murmuring and unbelief, he swore in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest."
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Twelve Spies Search the Promised Land
Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Numbers 13:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (2) “Send men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel; of every tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a ruler among them.”
The last post ended with the Israelites' journeying from one place to another, naming several various places they had stopped along the way. At this point it appears they are nearing their destination, as the Lord instructed Moses to send men into the land of Canaan to explore the land He was giving to them. The commentaries I study point out that in a future passage when Moses was recounting this time, we discovered that it was really the people themselves who wanted to check out the land before they actually took possession, and the Lord here was giving them permission rather than commanding them to do so. The people did not trust God that it was a good land and that He would put them in possession of it. They wanted to check it out for themselves first, and God allowed it, instructing Moses to send a leader from each tribe.
(3) And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran; all those men heads of the children of Israel.
As commanded by the Lord, Moses sent prominent men from each tribe out from them in the wilderness of Paran. These men were not the princes of each tribe, but appear to have been considered leaders in their tribes.
(4) And these were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.
Here begins a list of the leaders chosen to go search out their new land. First named was Shammua, the son of Zaccur, who was chosen from the tribe of Reuben.
(5) Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.
From the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat, the son of Hori, was chosen.
(6) Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. (7) Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph. (8) Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun.
From the tribe of Judah, Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, was chosen; Igal, the son of Joseph, was chosen from the tribe of Issachar; and from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea, who is Joshua, the son of Nun, was chosen. The commentaries I study all point out there is no further significance attributed to most of these chosen leaders; only Caleb and Joshua will be mentioned again. Actually, we have already learned that Joshua was a trusted servant of Moses.
(9) Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu. (10) Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi. (11) Of the tribe of Joseph, that is, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.
From the tribe of Benjamin was chosen Palti, the son of Raphu; from Zebulun, Gaddiel, the son of Sodi; and from the tribe of Manasseh, Joseph's son, Gaddi, the son of Susi, was chosen.
(12) Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli. (13) Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael. (14) Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi. (15) Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.
From the remaining tribes, Dan, Asher, Naphtali, and Gad, were chosen Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, and Geuel, respectively.
(16) These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.
In summation, it is stated that the preceding list of twelve men were indeed the names of the men Moses sent to spy out the land the Lord was giving the people. It is stated here that Moses called Hoshea, Joshua, which is how we had come to know him even before this time. Hoshea meant "deliverer" or "salvation"; Joshua, or "Yehoshua", meant "Jehovah is salvation" or "Jehovah-saved". Evidently, he had been born Hoshea, but it was Moses who had renamed him Joshua. It could have been partly out of affection for his protege, but it certainly placed honor on him, and would be an encouragement to him in this and all his future services with the assurances of God's presence. It could possibly be seen as prophetic of Joshua's succession to Moses in the government. Joshua is the same original name (Yehoshua) as Jesus, of whom Joshua was symbolic. Joshua was the savior of God's people from the powers of Canaan, as we'll soon see, and Christ is the savior of God's people from the powers of hell.
(17) And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way southward, and go up to the mountains, (18) And see what the land is like, and whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; (19) And whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are tents or strongholds; (20) And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood there, or not. And be of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land." Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.
Moses sent the twelve men to spy out the land of Canaan, directing them southward and up into the hill country of southern Canaan. He told them what to look for: what the land was like, rich or poor; whether the people were strong or weak, and whether their numbers were few or many; whether the people dwelt in tents or fortified cities; and whether there was timber for building, fuel, etc. He told the men to be of good courage, and not be afraid as they spied on this unknown land; after all, they had the power and protection of God. Moses also told them to bring back samples of the fruit of the land, for it was the time that the grapes and surely other fruits were ripening. Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, wrote that Moses's send-off, to "be of good courage", was probably not only meant to be an encouragement to them, but was a suggestion that they bring back a good report, with the samples of the fruit of the land, which would bring encouragement and excited anticipation to the people.
(21) So they went up and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, as men come to Hamath.
The spies went up the mountains in the south as directed by Moses. The wilderness of Zin was not the same as the wilderness of Sin from Exodus 16:1. Sin was nearer Egypt; this wilderness of Zin was on the south side of Canaan. From the south they passed through the whole land to the northern parts of it; from what I have read, Rehob was a city in the northwest part, and Hamath, a city in the northeast. The way the verse reads, it seems they went northward to Rehob, and then went eastward along the route that men took to Hamath.
(22) And they ascended by the south, and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
As they went up from the south, they went through Hebron, where the tribes of Anak and his three sons dwelt. A parenthetical note was made that Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt. The notation declared the antiquity of Hebron, but also might have been "to humble the pride of the Egyptians, who boasted the highest antiquity, that this note concerning the higher antiquity of Hebron was introduced by Moses" (Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible).
(23) And they came to the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they carried it between two of them on a staff; and they brought some of the pomegranates, and some of the figs.
When they came to the brook of Eschol, they cut down a branch that had just one cluster of grapes, but was so large it had to be carried on a staff between two men. Adam Clarke wrote of the historians who wrote of the extreme size of the grapes in that region--"each grape as large as a plum", "some bunches...weighed above forty-five pounds". Mr. Clarke also wrote, "From the most authentic accounts the Egyptian grape is very small, and this being the only one with which the Israelites were acquainted, the great size of the grapes of Hebron would appear still more extraordinary." The men also brought some samples of the pomegranates and figs.
(24) The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from there.
It appears the name Eschol was given by the Israelites, Eschol meaning "cluster". The brook or valley of Eschol was so named because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut from there.
(25) And they returned from searching the land after forty days.
They took an entire forty days to search out the whole land and then returned.
(26) And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, to the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word to them, and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.
When they came back, they went to Moses and Aaron, and before all the congregation; they brought back word to them, and showed them the fruit of the land they had brought back with them.
(27) And they told him, and said, “We went to the land where you sent us, and surely it flows with milk and honey, and this is the fruit of it."
The men reported to Moses that they had gone where he had sent them, and the land surely flowed with milk and honey, as the Lord had promised them; the fruit they had brought back was evidence of that.
(28) “Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are walled, and very great; and moreover we saw the children of Anak there."
Even though they had seen God's word confirmed that the land flowed with milk and honey, they couldn't accept that He was giving it to them, because of what they had seen in the strong people who dwelt there in fortified cities. Additionally, they had seen the children of Anak there, who must have been a terrifying tribe of which they had heard. Think about that for a moment. We don't hear of them encountering the Anakim before they are mentioned here. Yet the spies seem to believe reports they have heard from men over what their Lord God had told them, that He would give them the land.
(29) "The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south; and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan."
Imagine that! The Canaanites dwelt in Canaan! Of course, there were inhabitants in the land. Did they really believe that they were going to march into an uninhabited land flowing with milk and honey just waiting for only them? Their report of each of the tribes and where they dwelt was to demonstrate that they felt there was no place they could safely enter the land. However, God had already told them that He would drive out these tribes from the land He was giving them (Exodus 33:2).
(30) And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it."
Caleb calmed and quieted the people, and said that they should immediately go up and possess the land, stating they were well able to overcome the tribes there; of course, they were, with their Lord leading them, and based on His word that He would drive out those tribes. Matthew Henry pointed out Caleb's confidence and boldness in that he said they should go in immediately and possess the land. He didn't say they should go in and conquer it; that had already been done by their Lord who said He was driving the tribes out and giving them the land; all they needed to do was to go in and take possession.
(31) But the men that went up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”
Ten other men who had gone up with Caleb (we will see that Joshua was not included in this group) disagreed with Caleb and stated they could not go against the people of the land because they were stronger than they were. It's really amazing how weak and cowardly these men were, besides the fact that they did not believe their Lord; were they not 600,000 able men of war? Even of themselves they could have gone in to conquer the land, but the worse part is that they didn't believe their Lord to go in and possess it, as Caleb had said they should do.
(32) And they brought an evil report of the land which they had searched to the children of Israel, saying, “The land through which we have gone to search is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature."
The land they had first reported as one flowing with milk and honey (v. 27) now was said to be a land that devoured its inhabitants, either now insinuating that the land was not fruitful enough for all its inhabitants, or perhaps their meaning was that the different tribes of people in the different corners of the land attacked each other. They reported that all the people they saw were men of great size.
(33) "And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come from the giants; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight."
Here we see what must have been the reputation of the sons of Anak, that they were giants, and the men saw themselves as tiny in comparison, and so must they have seemed to the Anakim.
This promised land, Canaan, was a symbol of the kingdom of God. The wilderness through which the Israelites journeyed was illustrative of the difficulties and trials in this present world. The promise of the kingdom of God is given to us all, if we just believe in the One who makes the way. However, how many, including believers, get discouraged by the dangers they see ahead? May we all go up at once and possess the kingdom of God, as He has promised us, if only we trust His word that He will give us everlasting life if we accept His gift of Christ who covers our sins.
(Numbers 13:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (2) “Send men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel; of every tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a ruler among them.”
The last post ended with the Israelites' journeying from one place to another, naming several various places they had stopped along the way. At this point it appears they are nearing their destination, as the Lord instructed Moses to send men into the land of Canaan to explore the land He was giving to them. The commentaries I study point out that in a future passage when Moses was recounting this time, we discovered that it was really the people themselves who wanted to check out the land before they actually took possession, and the Lord here was giving them permission rather than commanding them to do so. The people did not trust God that it was a good land and that He would put them in possession of it. They wanted to check it out for themselves first, and God allowed it, instructing Moses to send a leader from each tribe.
(3) And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran; all those men heads of the children of Israel.
As commanded by the Lord, Moses sent prominent men from each tribe out from them in the wilderness of Paran. These men were not the princes of each tribe, but appear to have been considered leaders in their tribes.
(4) And these were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.
Here begins a list of the leaders chosen to go search out their new land. First named was Shammua, the son of Zaccur, who was chosen from the tribe of Reuben.
(5) Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.
From the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat, the son of Hori, was chosen.
(6) Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. (7) Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph. (8) Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun.
From the tribe of Judah, Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, was chosen; Igal, the son of Joseph, was chosen from the tribe of Issachar; and from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea, who is Joshua, the son of Nun, was chosen. The commentaries I study all point out there is no further significance attributed to most of these chosen leaders; only Caleb and Joshua will be mentioned again. Actually, we have already learned that Joshua was a trusted servant of Moses.
(9) Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu. (10) Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi. (11) Of the tribe of Joseph, that is, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.
From the tribe of Benjamin was chosen Palti, the son of Raphu; from Zebulun, Gaddiel, the son of Sodi; and from the tribe of Manasseh, Joseph's son, Gaddi, the son of Susi, was chosen.
(12) Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli. (13) Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael. (14) Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi. (15) Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.
From the remaining tribes, Dan, Asher, Naphtali, and Gad, were chosen Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, and Geuel, respectively.
(16) These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.
In summation, it is stated that the preceding list of twelve men were indeed the names of the men Moses sent to spy out the land the Lord was giving the people. It is stated here that Moses called Hoshea, Joshua, which is how we had come to know him even before this time. Hoshea meant "deliverer" or "salvation"; Joshua, or "Yehoshua", meant "Jehovah is salvation" or "Jehovah-saved". Evidently, he had been born Hoshea, but it was Moses who had renamed him Joshua. It could have been partly out of affection for his protege, but it certainly placed honor on him, and would be an encouragement to him in this and all his future services with the assurances of God's presence. It could possibly be seen as prophetic of Joshua's succession to Moses in the government. Joshua is the same original name (Yehoshua) as Jesus, of whom Joshua was symbolic. Joshua was the savior of God's people from the powers of Canaan, as we'll soon see, and Christ is the savior of God's people from the powers of hell.
(17) And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way southward, and go up to the mountains, (18) And see what the land is like, and whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; (19) And whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are tents or strongholds; (20) And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood there, or not. And be of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land." Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.
Moses sent the twelve men to spy out the land of Canaan, directing them southward and up into the hill country of southern Canaan. He told them what to look for: what the land was like, rich or poor; whether the people were strong or weak, and whether their numbers were few or many; whether the people dwelt in tents or fortified cities; and whether there was timber for building, fuel, etc. He told the men to be of good courage, and not be afraid as they spied on this unknown land; after all, they had the power and protection of God. Moses also told them to bring back samples of the fruit of the land, for it was the time that the grapes and surely other fruits were ripening. Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, wrote that Moses's send-off, to "be of good courage", was probably not only meant to be an encouragement to them, but was a suggestion that they bring back a good report, with the samples of the fruit of the land, which would bring encouragement and excited anticipation to the people.
(21) So they went up and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, as men come to Hamath.
The spies went up the mountains in the south as directed by Moses. The wilderness of Zin was not the same as the wilderness of Sin from Exodus 16:1. Sin was nearer Egypt; this wilderness of Zin was on the south side of Canaan. From the south they passed through the whole land to the northern parts of it; from what I have read, Rehob was a city in the northwest part, and Hamath, a city in the northeast. The way the verse reads, it seems they went northward to Rehob, and then went eastward along the route that men took to Hamath.
(22) And they ascended by the south, and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
As they went up from the south, they went through Hebron, where the tribes of Anak and his three sons dwelt. A parenthetical note was made that Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt. The notation declared the antiquity of Hebron, but also might have been "to humble the pride of the Egyptians, who boasted the highest antiquity, that this note concerning the higher antiquity of Hebron was introduced by Moses" (Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible).
(23) And they came to the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they carried it between two of them on a staff; and they brought some of the pomegranates, and some of the figs.
When they came to the brook of Eschol, they cut down a branch that had just one cluster of grapes, but was so large it had to be carried on a staff between two men. Adam Clarke wrote of the historians who wrote of the extreme size of the grapes in that region--"each grape as large as a plum", "some bunches...weighed above forty-five pounds". Mr. Clarke also wrote, "From the most authentic accounts the Egyptian grape is very small, and this being the only one with which the Israelites were acquainted, the great size of the grapes of Hebron would appear still more extraordinary." The men also brought some samples of the pomegranates and figs.
(24) The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from there.
It appears the name Eschol was given by the Israelites, Eschol meaning "cluster". The brook or valley of Eschol was so named because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut from there.
(25) And they returned from searching the land after forty days.
They took an entire forty days to search out the whole land and then returned.
(26) And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, to the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word to them, and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.
When they came back, they went to Moses and Aaron, and before all the congregation; they brought back word to them, and showed them the fruit of the land they had brought back with them.
(27) And they told him, and said, “We went to the land where you sent us, and surely it flows with milk and honey, and this is the fruit of it."
The men reported to Moses that they had gone where he had sent them, and the land surely flowed with milk and honey, as the Lord had promised them; the fruit they had brought back was evidence of that.
(28) “Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are walled, and very great; and moreover we saw the children of Anak there."
Even though they had seen God's word confirmed that the land flowed with milk and honey, they couldn't accept that He was giving it to them, because of what they had seen in the strong people who dwelt there in fortified cities. Additionally, they had seen the children of Anak there, who must have been a terrifying tribe of which they had heard. Think about that for a moment. We don't hear of them encountering the Anakim before they are mentioned here. Yet the spies seem to believe reports they have heard from men over what their Lord God had told them, that He would give them the land.
(29) "The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south; and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan."
Imagine that! The Canaanites dwelt in Canaan! Of course, there were inhabitants in the land. Did they really believe that they were going to march into an uninhabited land flowing with milk and honey just waiting for only them? Their report of each of the tribes and where they dwelt was to demonstrate that they felt there was no place they could safely enter the land. However, God had already told them that He would drive out these tribes from the land He was giving them (Exodus 33:2).
(30) And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it."
Caleb calmed and quieted the people, and said that they should immediately go up and possess the land, stating they were well able to overcome the tribes there; of course, they were, with their Lord leading them, and based on His word that He would drive out those tribes. Matthew Henry pointed out Caleb's confidence and boldness in that he said they should go in immediately and possess the land. He didn't say they should go in and conquer it; that had already been done by their Lord who said He was driving the tribes out and giving them the land; all they needed to do was to go in and take possession.
(31) But the men that went up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”
Ten other men who had gone up with Caleb (we will see that Joshua was not included in this group) disagreed with Caleb and stated they could not go against the people of the land because they were stronger than they were. It's really amazing how weak and cowardly these men were, besides the fact that they did not believe their Lord; were they not 600,000 able men of war? Even of themselves they could have gone in to conquer the land, but the worse part is that they didn't believe their Lord to go in and possess it, as Caleb had said they should do.
(32) And they brought an evil report of the land which they had searched to the children of Israel, saying, “The land through which we have gone to search is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature."
The land they had first reported as one flowing with milk and honey (v. 27) now was said to be a land that devoured its inhabitants, either now insinuating that the land was not fruitful enough for all its inhabitants, or perhaps their meaning was that the different tribes of people in the different corners of the land attacked each other. They reported that all the people they saw were men of great size.
(33) "And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come from the giants; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight."
Here we see what must have been the reputation of the sons of Anak, that they were giants, and the men saw themselves as tiny in comparison, and so must they have seemed to the Anakim.
This promised land, Canaan, was a symbol of the kingdom of God. The wilderness through which the Israelites journeyed was illustrative of the difficulties and trials in this present world. The promise of the kingdom of God is given to us all, if we just believe in the One who makes the way. However, how many, including believers, get discouraged by the dangers they see ahead? May we all go up at once and possess the kingdom of God, as He has promised us, if only we trust His word that He will give us everlasting life if we accept His gift of Christ who covers our sins.
Monday, September 3, 2018
God Rebukes the Murmuring of Aaron and Miriam
Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Numbers 12:1) And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
In the last chapter and post, we saw the Israelites grumbling and rebelling against their Lord in the wilderness of Paran. It seems the grumbling continued. Miriam and Aaron were Moses's siblings. They both had high honor and position among the Israelites. Miriam was a prophetess and Aaron was the high priest. From a later scripture in Micah 6:4 (For I brought you up from the land of Egypt...I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam), we see that God called them with Moses to deliver His people from Egypt. Yet here they are grumbling against Moses. It is stated that they spoke against him because he had married an Ethiopian woman. The original word translated as "Ethiopian" was "kushiyth", or "Cushite". There is much disagreement among Biblical scholars as to whom this refers. We know that Moses had married Zipporah, a Midianite, not a Cushite. Because Midian bordered on Ethiopia, they may have been calling Zipporah a Cushite in scorn. Perhaps this was not even Zipporah. "For he had married an Ethiopian woman" seems to be an explanation for the woman Moses had married. We already learned about the marriage to Zipporah and she was not an Ethiopian, so it seems logical that this was another wife. Either Zipporah had died, or Moses took another wife as was often done in his time. I don't believe it really matters who the wife was; the fact was that they were grumbling against Moses.
(2) And they said, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? Has He not spoken also by us?" And the LORD heard it.
Here we see the real reason for their grumbling. It had nothing to do with Moses's wife. They were jealous. As Micah 6:4 stated, they were called by God also, yet it seemed to them that Moses had done all the talking of late. He had just chosen the seventy elders to help divide his charge. Perhaps because they weren't included in selecting the elders, or perhaps because they felt their position was diminished because of the selection of seventy others, they spoke against Moses. Bringing up his wife may have been because they felt she, too, may have had an elevated position above them because she was Moses's wife, and they were jealous, pure and simple. The Lord heard their grumblings.
(3) (Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all the men who were on the face of the earth.)
This is a parenthetical statement explaining that Moses was the meekest man on the face of the earth. If Moses was so meek, would he have written this about himself? Yes, if he was Holy Spirit inspired to write it. Perhaps it being parenthetical as it was, some later scribe and prophet added it. The word translated as "meek" was "anav", and also means "lowly, poor, afflicted". We know that Moses was definitely afflicted in spirit when he had complained so much to God about his burdens in the last chapter. In whatever manner this came to be written, the reason is basically the same; it was inserted to explain why Moses himself did not vindicate himself, and why the Lord intervened on his behalf, as we will see.
(4) And the LORD spoke suddenly to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of the congregation." And the three came out.
It seems the Lord spoke immediately upon hearing Miriam and Aaron, and called them with Moses to the tabernacle. They all three came.
(5) And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forth.
The Lord came down in that pillar of cloud that was always over the most holy place of the tabernacle, and which was a symbol of His continual presence. He came to the door of the tabernacle where he called forth Miriam and Aaron, and they came forward to Him.
(6) And He said, "Hear now my words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, will make Myself known to him in a vision, and will speak to him in a dream."
The Lord told Aaron and Miriam to listen to Him, and understand that if there was a prophet, one with a prophetic message from the Lord, among the two of them, then they would receive their message in a dream or vision, as were the usual means of hearing from the Lord.
(7) "My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all My house. (8) With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches, and the similitude of the LORD he shall behold; why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?”
The Lord told Aaron and Miriam that that was not the case with Moses, who was faithful in the house of Israel. He told them that He spoke face to face with Moses plainly, not in obscure riddles or proverbs. Moses would also see an image or likeness of the Lord. We have already learned that no man could have seen God directly and lived (Exodus 33:20), but Moses saw a representation of God as in the burning bush, or something of the glory of God as when He passed by Moses in the cleft of the rock. How could it be that they weren't afraid to speak against God's servant whom He held in such high personal regard?
(9) And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them, and He departed.
God's anger burned against Aaron and Miriam, and He departed from their presence without hearing what they had to say for themselves, which was a plain indication of His anger against them.
(10) And the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow; and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.
God had already departed from the door of the tabernacle; now it seems the pillar of cloud departed from the tabernacle itself, representing God's deep displeasure with Miriam and Aaron that He would not suffer the cloud to continue over the tabernacle with them there. Miriam was immediately struck with leprosy, her skin turned white as snow. Aaron looked at Miriam and saw that she was leprous. I believe this wasn't meant to be a casual statement that he saw that she was leprous, but rather as the priest, it was his business to inspect her and pronounce her leprous, according to the law of leprosy. Miriam was struck with leprosy, but Aaron was not. It was probably because Miriam was the chief instigator. Her name was mentioned first in verse 1, and Aaron probably followed her lead, just as he had been willing to follow the mob in the making of the golden calf in Exodus 32. Additionally, perhaps God would not have his priesthood so dishonored. Perhaps it was punishment enough and very humbling for Aaron to have to pronounce his sister leprous, knowing the reason why and realizing he also deserved such a punishment.
(11) And Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. (12) Do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb.”
Aaron humbled himself to Moses, calling him his lord, confessing his foolish sin, and begging him not to allow their sin to be imposed on them this way. He asked that Miriam not be as one who was dead, as she would ceremonially be, separated and shut off from her people; and not one whose flesh was half consumed like a miscarried or stillborn child who perhaps never fully developed, or one who had been dead for awhile in his mother's womb. It's not as if Moses had the power to make Miriam leprous and to take it away, but thusly Aaron humbled himself to Moses, magnifying to the highest degree Moses's position and power, and perhaps realizing at this point that only Moses's intercession could help them now.
(13) And Moses cried to the LORD, saying, "Heal her now, O God, I beseech You."
Moses cried out to the Lord in prayer, asking that He please heal Miriam. Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, wrote about what a beautiful example this was, praying for one who despitefully used him (Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:28). Moses took no pleasure in the righteous judgment and punishment of the Lord, but in forgiveness prayed for mercy and healing for Miriam.
(14) And the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again.”
God answered Moses, saying that if Miriam's earthly father had spit in her face, showing his displeasure in her, would she not be ashamed and shut herself away for some time? How much more should she be ashamed by her sin against God! He told Moses to shut her out of the camp for seven days, and after that, she could be allowed back in again.
(15) And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days; and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again.
Miriam was indeed shut out of the camp for seven days, and the people did not journey from their camps until she was brought in again. This was certainly due to the fact that the cloud did not direct them to move, but it also taught an important lesson. Those like Miriam under censure and rebuke for sin ought to be treated with forgiveness, comfort, and love (2 Corinthians 2:7-8), and not counted as an enemy (2 Thessalonians 3:15) that they would leave behind.
(16) And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.
After the seven days and when Miriam was returned to the camp, the people moved from Hazeroth to another campsite within the wilderness of Paran.
As I am doing a chronologically ordered Bible study as set forth by Skip Andrews, I now move on to Numbers 33 as that study directed:
(Numbers 33:16) And they removed from the desert of Sinai, and pitched at Kibroth Hattaavah. (17) And they departed from Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth. (18) And they departed from Hazeroth and pitched in Rithmah.
Actually, these three verses take a step backward and tell us where the Israelites had traveled since leaving the desert of Sinai up to this point. Kibroth Hattaavah is where the people lusted after flesh and the place was so named. From there they moved to Hazeroth where Miriam was struck with leprosy. From Hazeroth they moved to another camp in the wilderness of Paran (Numbers 12:16), and we see in Numbers 33:18 that the name of that place was Rithmah.
(19) And they departed from Rithmah, and pitched at Rimmon Perez. (20) And they departed from Rimmon Perez and pitched in Libnah. (21) And they removed from Libnah and pitched at Rissah. (22) And they journeyed from Rissah and pitched in Kehelathah. (23) And they went from Kehelathah and pitched at Mount Shepher. (24) And they removed from Mount Shepher and camped in Haradah. (25) And they removed from Haradah and pitched in Makheloth. (26) And they removed from Makheloth and camped at Tahath. (27) And they departed from Tahath and pitched at Terah. (28) And they removed from Terah and pitched in Mithcah. (29) And they went from Mithcah and pitched in Hashmonah.
The people continued to journey from place to place, and I can only assume nothing of real importance happened in these places. Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, summarized these travels in the following manner, and I can only take his word for it:
Six miles from Rithmah, and then from Rimmon to Libnah, which was six miles also; and from thence to Rissah, which was six miles more; and from Rissah to, Kehelathah, which was the same number of miles; and from thence to Shapher, which was six miles also; and then they came to Haradah, which was four miles from thence; the next remove was to Makheloth, which was four miles and a half from the last place; then they went to Tahath, which was four miles more; and from thence to Tarah, which also was four miles; the next place they came to was Mithcah, four miles from Tarah; and then to Hashmonah, which was eight miles more.
(30) And they departed from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth. (31) And they departed from Moseroth and pitched in Bene Jaakan.
The people left Hashmonah and continued their journey. Dr. Gill compared these two verses to the account in Deuteronomy 10:6 and explained: "Thirty two miles from Hashmonah. In Deu 10:6 it is called Mosera; and according to the account there, they came hither from the following place, Benejaakan; probably they went first thither from Hashmonah, and then from Mosera or Moserot, and so to Benejaakan again, going backwards and forwards, so Jarchi; the distance of the two places was twenty four miles."
(32) And they removed from Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Hagidgad. (33) They went from Hor Hagidgad and pitched in Jotbathah. (34) And they removed from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah. (35) And they departed from Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber. (36) And they removed from Ezion Geber and pitched in the wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh.
The people continued their journey, and once again I turn to Dr. Gill's summation of these verses:
And they removed from Benejaakan, and encamped at Horhagidgad. In the Targum Jonathan called Gudgod, as it is Gudgodah in Deu 10:7, where the remove to this place is said to be from Mosera; it was twenty miles from Benejaaken; from thence they went to Jotbathah, twenty four miles from Horhagidgad; and from thence to Ebronah, twenty miles more; and so to Eziongeber, of which see 1 Ki 9:26 which was twenty eight miles from Ebrorah; and their next remove was to the wilderness of Zin, which was Kadesh, forty eight miles from Eziongeber.
This is where my chronological Bible study (suggested by Skip Andrews) tells me to stop for now. Again I can only assume that nothing of importance happened in these travels. Hopefully, the people had finally learned their lessons about complaining and murmuring after seeing Miriam, the sister of Moses, a prophetess, and probably the most highly regarded woman among them, struck with leprosy for her murmuring against Moses. Before their journeying was ended, the people will have spent forty years in the wilderness for a journey that could have been completed in a few weeks, because of their unfaithfulness and transgression. Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, compared this to our present-day acts of rebellion that keep us from immediately receiving God's best for us: "How many through their unfaithfulness have been many years in gaining that for which, in the ordinary procedure of Divine grace, a few days had been sufficient! How much ground may a man lose in the Divine life by one act of unfaithfulness or transgression!"
(Numbers 12:1) And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
In the last chapter and post, we saw the Israelites grumbling and rebelling against their Lord in the wilderness of Paran. It seems the grumbling continued. Miriam and Aaron were Moses's siblings. They both had high honor and position among the Israelites. Miriam was a prophetess and Aaron was the high priest. From a later scripture in Micah 6:4 (For I brought you up from the land of Egypt...I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam), we see that God called them with Moses to deliver His people from Egypt. Yet here they are grumbling against Moses. It is stated that they spoke against him because he had married an Ethiopian woman. The original word translated as "Ethiopian" was "kushiyth", or "Cushite". There is much disagreement among Biblical scholars as to whom this refers. We know that Moses had married Zipporah, a Midianite, not a Cushite. Because Midian bordered on Ethiopia, they may have been calling Zipporah a Cushite in scorn. Perhaps this was not even Zipporah. "For he had married an Ethiopian woman" seems to be an explanation for the woman Moses had married. We already learned about the marriage to Zipporah and she was not an Ethiopian, so it seems logical that this was another wife. Either Zipporah had died, or Moses took another wife as was often done in his time. I don't believe it really matters who the wife was; the fact was that they were grumbling against Moses.
(2) And they said, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? Has He not spoken also by us?" And the LORD heard it.
Here we see the real reason for their grumbling. It had nothing to do with Moses's wife. They were jealous. As Micah 6:4 stated, they were called by God also, yet it seemed to them that Moses had done all the talking of late. He had just chosen the seventy elders to help divide his charge. Perhaps because they weren't included in selecting the elders, or perhaps because they felt their position was diminished because of the selection of seventy others, they spoke against Moses. Bringing up his wife may have been because they felt she, too, may have had an elevated position above them because she was Moses's wife, and they were jealous, pure and simple. The Lord heard their grumblings.
(3) (Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all the men who were on the face of the earth.)
This is a parenthetical statement explaining that Moses was the meekest man on the face of the earth. If Moses was so meek, would he have written this about himself? Yes, if he was Holy Spirit inspired to write it. Perhaps it being parenthetical as it was, some later scribe and prophet added it. The word translated as "meek" was "anav", and also means "lowly, poor, afflicted". We know that Moses was definitely afflicted in spirit when he had complained so much to God about his burdens in the last chapter. In whatever manner this came to be written, the reason is basically the same; it was inserted to explain why Moses himself did not vindicate himself, and why the Lord intervened on his behalf, as we will see.
(4) And the LORD spoke suddenly to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of the congregation." And the three came out.
It seems the Lord spoke immediately upon hearing Miriam and Aaron, and called them with Moses to the tabernacle. They all three came.
(5) And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forth.
The Lord came down in that pillar of cloud that was always over the most holy place of the tabernacle, and which was a symbol of His continual presence. He came to the door of the tabernacle where he called forth Miriam and Aaron, and they came forward to Him.
(6) And He said, "Hear now my words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, will make Myself known to him in a vision, and will speak to him in a dream."
The Lord told Aaron and Miriam to listen to Him, and understand that if there was a prophet, one with a prophetic message from the Lord, among the two of them, then they would receive their message in a dream or vision, as were the usual means of hearing from the Lord.
(7) "My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all My house. (8) With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches, and the similitude of the LORD he shall behold; why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?”
The Lord told Aaron and Miriam that that was not the case with Moses, who was faithful in the house of Israel. He told them that He spoke face to face with Moses plainly, not in obscure riddles or proverbs. Moses would also see an image or likeness of the Lord. We have already learned that no man could have seen God directly and lived (Exodus 33:20), but Moses saw a representation of God as in the burning bush, or something of the glory of God as when He passed by Moses in the cleft of the rock. How could it be that they weren't afraid to speak against God's servant whom He held in such high personal regard?
(9) And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them, and He departed.
God's anger burned against Aaron and Miriam, and He departed from their presence without hearing what they had to say for themselves, which was a plain indication of His anger against them.
(10) And the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow; and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.
God had already departed from the door of the tabernacle; now it seems the pillar of cloud departed from the tabernacle itself, representing God's deep displeasure with Miriam and Aaron that He would not suffer the cloud to continue over the tabernacle with them there. Miriam was immediately struck with leprosy, her skin turned white as snow. Aaron looked at Miriam and saw that she was leprous. I believe this wasn't meant to be a casual statement that he saw that she was leprous, but rather as the priest, it was his business to inspect her and pronounce her leprous, according to the law of leprosy. Miriam was struck with leprosy, but Aaron was not. It was probably because Miriam was the chief instigator. Her name was mentioned first in verse 1, and Aaron probably followed her lead, just as he had been willing to follow the mob in the making of the golden calf in Exodus 32. Additionally, perhaps God would not have his priesthood so dishonored. Perhaps it was punishment enough and very humbling for Aaron to have to pronounce his sister leprous, knowing the reason why and realizing he also deserved such a punishment.
(11) And Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. (12) Do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb.”
Aaron humbled himself to Moses, calling him his lord, confessing his foolish sin, and begging him not to allow their sin to be imposed on them this way. He asked that Miriam not be as one who was dead, as she would ceremonially be, separated and shut off from her people; and not one whose flesh was half consumed like a miscarried or stillborn child who perhaps never fully developed, or one who had been dead for awhile in his mother's womb. It's not as if Moses had the power to make Miriam leprous and to take it away, but thusly Aaron humbled himself to Moses, magnifying to the highest degree Moses's position and power, and perhaps realizing at this point that only Moses's intercession could help them now.
(13) And Moses cried to the LORD, saying, "Heal her now, O God, I beseech You."
Moses cried out to the Lord in prayer, asking that He please heal Miriam. Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, wrote about what a beautiful example this was, praying for one who despitefully used him (Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:28). Moses took no pleasure in the righteous judgment and punishment of the Lord, but in forgiveness prayed for mercy and healing for Miriam.
(14) And the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again.”
God answered Moses, saying that if Miriam's earthly father had spit in her face, showing his displeasure in her, would she not be ashamed and shut herself away for some time? How much more should she be ashamed by her sin against God! He told Moses to shut her out of the camp for seven days, and after that, she could be allowed back in again.
(15) And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days; and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again.
Miriam was indeed shut out of the camp for seven days, and the people did not journey from their camps until she was brought in again. This was certainly due to the fact that the cloud did not direct them to move, but it also taught an important lesson. Those like Miriam under censure and rebuke for sin ought to be treated with forgiveness, comfort, and love (2 Corinthians 2:7-8), and not counted as an enemy (2 Thessalonians 3:15) that they would leave behind.
(16) And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.
After the seven days and when Miriam was returned to the camp, the people moved from Hazeroth to another campsite within the wilderness of Paran.
As I am doing a chronologically ordered Bible study as set forth by Skip Andrews, I now move on to Numbers 33 as that study directed:
(Numbers 33:16) And they removed from the desert of Sinai, and pitched at Kibroth Hattaavah. (17) And they departed from Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth. (18) And they departed from Hazeroth and pitched in Rithmah.
Actually, these three verses take a step backward and tell us where the Israelites had traveled since leaving the desert of Sinai up to this point. Kibroth Hattaavah is where the people lusted after flesh and the place was so named. From there they moved to Hazeroth where Miriam was struck with leprosy. From Hazeroth they moved to another camp in the wilderness of Paran (Numbers 12:16), and we see in Numbers 33:18 that the name of that place was Rithmah.
(19) And they departed from Rithmah, and pitched at Rimmon Perez. (20) And they departed from Rimmon Perez and pitched in Libnah. (21) And they removed from Libnah and pitched at Rissah. (22) And they journeyed from Rissah and pitched in Kehelathah. (23) And they went from Kehelathah and pitched at Mount Shepher. (24) And they removed from Mount Shepher and camped in Haradah. (25) And they removed from Haradah and pitched in Makheloth. (26) And they removed from Makheloth and camped at Tahath. (27) And they departed from Tahath and pitched at Terah. (28) And they removed from Terah and pitched in Mithcah. (29) And they went from Mithcah and pitched in Hashmonah.
The people continued to journey from place to place, and I can only assume nothing of real importance happened in these places. Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, summarized these travels in the following manner, and I can only take his word for it:
Six miles from Rithmah, and then from Rimmon to Libnah, which was six miles also; and from thence to Rissah, which was six miles more; and from Rissah to, Kehelathah, which was the same number of miles; and from thence to Shapher, which was six miles also; and then they came to Haradah, which was four miles from thence; the next remove was to Makheloth, which was four miles and a half from the last place; then they went to Tahath, which was four miles more; and from thence to Tarah, which also was four miles; the next place they came to was Mithcah, four miles from Tarah; and then to Hashmonah, which was eight miles more.
(30) And they departed from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth. (31) And they departed from Moseroth and pitched in Bene Jaakan.
The people left Hashmonah and continued their journey. Dr. Gill compared these two verses to the account in Deuteronomy 10:6 and explained: "Thirty two miles from Hashmonah. In Deu 10:6 it is called Mosera; and according to the account there, they came hither from the following place, Benejaakan; probably they went first thither from Hashmonah, and then from Mosera or Moserot, and so to Benejaakan again, going backwards and forwards, so Jarchi; the distance of the two places was twenty four miles."
(32) And they removed from Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Hagidgad. (33) They went from Hor Hagidgad and pitched in Jotbathah. (34) And they removed from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah. (35) And they departed from Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber. (36) And they removed from Ezion Geber and pitched in the wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh.
The people continued their journey, and once again I turn to Dr. Gill's summation of these verses:
And they removed from Benejaakan, and encamped at Horhagidgad. In the Targum Jonathan called Gudgod, as it is Gudgodah in Deu 10:7, where the remove to this place is said to be from Mosera; it was twenty miles from Benejaaken; from thence they went to Jotbathah, twenty four miles from Horhagidgad; and from thence to Ebronah, twenty miles more; and so to Eziongeber, of which see 1 Ki 9:26 which was twenty eight miles from Ebrorah; and their next remove was to the wilderness of Zin, which was Kadesh, forty eight miles from Eziongeber.
This is where my chronological Bible study (suggested by Skip Andrews) tells me to stop for now. Again I can only assume that nothing of importance happened in these travels. Hopefully, the people had finally learned their lessons about complaining and murmuring after seeing Miriam, the sister of Moses, a prophetess, and probably the most highly regarded woman among them, struck with leprosy for her murmuring against Moses. Before their journeying was ended, the people will have spent forty years in the wilderness for a journey that could have been completed in a few weeks, because of their unfaithfulness and transgression. Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, compared this to our present-day acts of rebellion that keep us from immediately receiving God's best for us: "How many through their unfaithfulness have been many years in gaining that for which, in the ordinary procedure of Divine grace, a few days had been sufficient! How much ground may a man lose in the Divine life by one act of unfaithfulness or transgression!"
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
The Israelites' Complaining in the Wilderness of Paran
Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Numbers 11:1) And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD; and the LORD heard it, and his anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.
In the last chapter and post, the people had just removed from Sinai and traveled three days' journey to Paran. Now we read the people complained. We aren't told exactly what they complained about, but I don't think that matters. The Lord was with them all the time; He was their guide through the wilderness; He provided their food; He was bringing them to a place flowing with milk and honey, a place they had done nothing to earn. He took care of their needs; what did they have to complain about? I used to really marvel at how ungrateful the Israelites in the wilderness were, as there will be many more instances of their complaining in the chapters to come. However, what an illustration of our own complaining in our current circumstances! Most of us have a roof over our heads, a warm bed in which to sleep, food to eat, some mode of transportation, and many more comforts that people in third world countries never dream of having, yet it seems we can always come up with something to complain about!
The Lord was very displeased about the complaining. We humans can understand that. Think of a husband who thinks he gives his all to his family, but his wife complains it's not enough. Think of the wife who feels she does everything for her family, but receives only complaints it is not good enough. Think of parents who give all to their children, but the children complain of mistreatment. There is no way to even compare the kind of blessings the Lord gives to our human efforts, so it is very understandable that the Lord would be displeased about this complaining. His anger was kindled, and His fire consumed the people who were in the outermost parts of the camp. I can hear the outcries about how a loving God could get angry and kill His own people who complained against Him. However, I believe everything the Lord did was an effort to bring His people back to Him, to have them learn to depend on Him, their only source of life. Isn't it loving and merciful to discipline a child? To allow a child to always get his way and to complain when things don't go his way does no service to him, but can make him a very obnoxious adult.
As far as why one person has to die to teach others a lesson, I have come to have peace with that. When we realize this earth is not our home, and that nothing on this earth comes close to comparing with our rewards to come, when we realize that we each have a purpose from our Creator, we can be joyful that He used us to bring about His purposes! For those who have ever wondered what purpose their life has--it may be to live a Christ-led life as an example to others. When people see the joy and peace one can have, even in the worst troubles, it can make them seek the source of that peace and joy. When we truly understand that to die off this earth is not the end, but the beginning of a glorious eternal life, we have no reason to mourn for those who are taken before their time. What about a person who is taken in the midst of wrongdoing? Does he not get the chance to repent and come to Christ? Again I have come to realize there is no need to worry about this. God knows our hearts. He knows what we have done and what we will ever do. He is a fair and just God. It's His very nature! He can't help but do the "right" thing! God is not a vengeful God just waiting to catch someone not acting right so He can show His awesome power and zap them from the face of the earth! He may show His awesome power to teach us a lesson for our own good and for our life everlasting; and if someone is taken from this world prematurely, you can bet your life the Lord will give him his just reward, and the reward he would have deserved if he had lived 50 years longer. God knows the heart, and what the heart has done and what it will do forevermore.
(2) And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed to the LORD, the fire was quenched.
The people cried out to Moses, being frightened at the fire which consumed many of them, lest it should spread and consume them, too. When Moses prayed to the Lord on behalf of the people, the fire ceased. Moses was the mediator between God and the people, an intercessor, as Christ is our intercessor for our transgressions we will certainly commit.
(3) And he called the name of the place Taberah, because the fire of the LORD burnt among them.
Moses called the place Taberah, which literally meant "burning", for the obvious reason that the fire of the Lord had burned among them there.
(4) And the mixed multitude who were among them fell into a lusting; and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, “Who will give us meat to eat?"
In Exodus 12:38, we learned that a "mixed multitude" came out of Egypt with the Israelites. Perhaps some came because they could see that the Lord of the Israelites was the one true God and wanted to follow Him, but very probably many left because their own land had been laid waste by the plagues. Why would this kind of people have been allowed to come with the Israelites? I believe to again teach us a lesson. It seems the mixed multitude were the first to start complaining about not having meat to eat, but the children of Israel listened to their complaints and readily began to agree with them. Once again, the children of Israel were complaining. How easily can a few malcontents sow discord! The Bible refers to this time and again: "Be not deceived; evil communications corrupt good manners." (1 Corinthians 15:33) "Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?" (1 Cor. 5:6b) "Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them." (Romans 16:17). While it may have been the mixed multitude who started it, the Israelites far too easily forgot the care and blessings of their Lord! They began crying out about who would give them meat to eat.
(5) “We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic."
The people reminisced about "the good ol' days" in Egypt when they ate of an abundance of fish, cucumbers, melons, etc. Imagine whining about missing something in Egypt, from the place where they were in miserable slavery, from the terrible place from which their Lord rescued them! Once again, I used to be awestruck at the Israelites doing this, but I am quite sure each of us is quite capable of romanticizing his past and longing for it, not recognizing the current blessings of the Lord who may have rescued him from his past.
(6) "But now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all, besides this manna, before our eyes."
The Israelites complained they were wasting away and half-starved because all they had was that manna! I'll have more to say about that after the next few verses:
(7) And the manna was like coriander seed, and its color like the color of bdellium. (8) The people went about and gathered it, ground it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, baked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. (9) And when the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it.
I believe these verses were inserted to show how unreasonable the complaints of the Israelites were. The manna was like small round seeds that fell every night on the dew. It was the color of bdellium. There is some discrepancy among Biblical scholars about what this might mean. Bdellium is defined as a fragrant yellowish transparent gum. Genesis 2:12 spoke of the gold of the land with bdellium and the onyx stone. The original word translated as "bdellium" was "bedolach", and some believe that rather than bdellium, "bdeloah" was meant, which was said to be a precious stone, perhaps like a pearl. Whether golden or like pearls, the sense is that manna was very pleasant, both in appearance, and in taste. Having the taste of fresh oil meant it was not dry and tasteless. The people didn't have to work or search for their food. It fell every night while they slept, and they had only to gather it and prepare it as they desired, and it was good! Yet they dared to complain.
(10) Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent; and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased.
Moses heard the people weeping and moaning throughout their families; it seems it must have been very general throughout the camps. It seemed every man was publicly weeping at the door of his tent, not content to keep his complaining to himself. The anger of the Lord was understandably great against them. He provided their every need, but instead of gratefulness and thanksgiving, they complained and lusted for what they did not have. They even longed for what they had had in Egypt, for which they had endured so much hardship and ill treatment! From that which the Lord had rescued them, they longed to go back to! It seems unbelievable, but I don't doubt for a minute, that we can sometimes do this very thing, not recognizing the many blessings of the Lord in our lives. Even Moses was displeased with this unreasonable exhibition by the people after so many blessings of their Lord.
(11) And Moses said to the LORD, "Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me?"
Here we see that Moses's displeasure was not just because the people complained against His Lord, but also because he was burdened with leading this ungrateful lot. When you think about it, you can see that Moses demonstrated some of the same ungratefulness to His Lord as did the Israelites; he undervalued the great honor God had bestowed on him. The one thing Moses did that the people did not was to take his problem to the Lord. The people could have prayed to the Lord, thanking Him for His blessings, but that if it be His will, might they also have a little meat. It still would have shown some selfish ungratefulness, but would have been better to take their request to God, than to gin up discontent among all the people. Moses seemed to be doing his own wailing to the Lord asking why he was so mistreated by the Lord. Had he not found favor in that the Lord bestowed this great honor on him that he should be the leader of God's own people? Rather than thankfulness for that, and praying for help in this situation, as he had consulted the Lord many times before when he needed guidance, he went into a pity party of his own.
(12) "Have I conceived all this people? Have I begotten them, that You should say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom, as a nursing father bears the suckling child,' to the land which You swore to their fathers?"
Moses began to lay on the complaining and self-pity a bit thickly. He complained that these weren't his children or his responsibility, that the Lord should make him take care of them and carry them into the land that the Lord had promised, maybe even insinuating that he, Moses, was not the one who wanted them to go to this land.
(13) “Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep to me, saying, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’"
Moses now gets to the problem with which he needs help, where was he to get the meat that the people cried to him for? Note how Moses magnified his own performance. Even in the verse before this one--was he really the one who carried the children of Israel? Did not the Lord guide them, protect them, and give them food? Now he acts as though it is his burdensome responsibility to get them meat, as if he was the one who gave them manna to eat. He even acts as though it was a reasonable request, rather than reproving them for their complaining and ingratitude, and reminding them of the manna which was provided for them every day, with which they should have been content.
(14) "I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me."
Did Moses forget he was not at all alone? Without God leading and providing and advising, he would have seen what a heavy burden it really could have been! Additionally, back in Exodus 18, Moses's father-in-law advised him to select rulers who could judge the smaller matters, which he did, and it was only the hard cases that were brought to Moses. However, it was true that Moses alone was the mediator between the people and God, and he was responsible for the hardest cases.
(15) "And if You deal this way with me, please kill me, out of hand, if I have found favor in Your sight; and do not let me see my wretchedness.”
Moses told God that if He continued to lay this burden on him, he asked that God kill him immediately; if God looked on Moses favorably, Moses felt He could do this for him and take him out of his misery.
(16) "And the LORD said to Moses, “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; and bring them to the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with you."
God graciously overlooked Moses's unbecoming speeches to Him, and told him to gather seventy men of the elders of Israel, men Moses knew to be the elders and officers of the people, very likely some of the rulers that had been selected according to his father-in-law's advice in Exodus 18:21. God told Moses to bring the seventy men to the tabernacle to stand with him.
How wonderful and gracious of God to not admonish Moses! God lovingly allowed a mere man to speak to Him in that way. What a wonderful example to show that it's okay to take our frustrations to God and pour our hearts out to Him! He was angry with the people who murmured and complained to each other and stirred up strife and dissent, but helped Moses in his misery when Moses had taken the problem directly to Him, the only One who could fix the problem. I am reminded of the Shunammite woman in a later passage in 2 Kings 4. The prophet Elisha promised her a son which she did, in fact, conceive and had a baby boy. When the son was older, he had an accident and died. She grabbed her son and rode directly to the man of God who had prophesied that son. When Elisha's servant ran out to meet the woman, he asked her if all was well with her and with her son. She answered ALL WAS WELL! It certainly was not well, but there was no need to complain to this man who could do nothing about it. She took her problem directly to the one who had given her the son, as far as she knew. She even complained to him that she had not asked for this son, and reminded him that she had told him not to deceive her about it, in essence, meaning not to do this cruel thing of giving her a son only to take him away. Elisha rebuked his servant who had tried to come between the woman and Elisha, saying to let her alone as he could see her soul was terribly vexed. In the end, Elisha prayed to God and the son's life was restored. In this same way, Moses's soul was vexed under the weight of his burden, but he did not spread his unhappiness and feelings of unfairness to the people; he took it directly to God, and God honored that. Job did this. When his wife told him to curse God and die because of all his afflictions, he did not. It's true that God did verbally admonish Job somewhat when he continually questioned his fate, but in the end, God blessed him mightily and gave him twice as much as he had had before. I think this proves that it's okay to complain to God in our misery! He understands our human weaknesses, but it's important to take it to Him, and if our feelings are in error, He will show us the way and help us through it.
(17) "And I will come down and talk with with you there; and I will take of the Spirit which is upon you and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone."
Once again we hear a patient and gracious God. Although Moses had spoken so boldly to God, He did not break off communication with him, but rather said He would "come down and talk with" him, possibly by some visible sign of his presence, but surely at the very least by an audible one. God told Moses He would give the same Spirit He had given to Moses and give it to these seventy men so that they could righteously judge the people, so that Moses would not have to bear the burden alone. Note that God equips those He calls with what is necessary for them to do what He has called them to do. One might argue that God had given Moses what He needed to do this job God had called him to do. Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, suggested that this was a mild reproof by God to tell Moses that he had been given the spiritual gifts he needed to do the job God had called him to do, but He graciously agreed to give the same Spirit to the seventy men to help him.
(18) "And you say to the people, 'Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the LORD, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt.” Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you shall eat.'"
Moses was to tell the people to sanctify themselves and prepare to meet the power of their God the next day. He was to tell them that they had wept and complained openly and audibly, and the Lord had heard them. They had wondered who would give them meat, for it had been well with them in Egypt, so the Lord was going to give them meat and they would eat.
(19) "‘You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, (20) But even a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have despised the LORD who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?”’”
Think about what the people had suggested. Who would give them meat? Who was it who was with them continually supplying all their needs? They said that it had been well with them in Egypt, implying that it had been an injury to them for God to bring them out of bondage in Egypt. They despised their Lord among them and His continual blessings, and lusted for more. God would give them what they lusted for. It occurs to me that perhaps the Lord would match the amount of meat He would give them to the measure of their greedy excessive lust. They would have meat for a whole month until they were sick of it and vomiting it, and until it was completely loathsome to them.
(21) And Moses said, “The people whom I am among are six hundred thousand footmen, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month.’ (22) Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to provide enough for them?”
Moses spoke back to the Lord telling Him, as if He didn't know, that there were 600,000 men on foot, or footmen or soldiers ready for war, besides the women and children, and He had said He would give them meat for a month? He questions how it will be done. It's as if Moses questions God's word or His power to provide what He said He would.
(23) And the LORD said to Moses, "Has the LORD’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether My word shall come to pass to you or not.”
This does sound like a rebuke to Moses. Had His power diminished? Was the same power that parted the Red Sea, rained down manna from heaven for all the people to eat daily, and brought water from a rock for all the people to drink, now suddenly unable to give the people meat to eat for a month? God told Moses he would see whether or not what He had said would come to pass.
(24) And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the LORD, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle.
Moses went out to the people and told them what the Lord had said. He gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and brought them around the tabernacle.
(25) And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it came to pass, that when the spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but did not do so again.
The Lord came down in a cloud, probably the pillar of cloud that was continually among the people, and spoke to Moses. He took of the Spirit that was upon Moses and placed the same upon the seventy elders. The exact wording is particularly interesting. Did God take from the Holy Spirit that was upon Moses and distribute it among the seventy elders? My first impulse was of course not! The Holy Spirit is not a finite thing that must be cut into parts. This probably means that the same Holy Spirit God had given Moses was given to the seventy elders. However, Adam Clarke had an interesting take:
"To convince Moses that God had sufficiently qualified him for the work which he had given him to do, he tells him that of the gifts and graces which he has given him he will qualify seventy persons to bear the charge with him. This was probably intended as a gracious reproof. Query. Did not Moses lose a measure of his gifts in this business? And is it not right that he whom God has called to and qualified for some particular office, should lose those gifts which he either undervalues or refuses to employ for God in the way appointed? Is there not much reason to believe that many cases have occurred where the spiritual endowments of particular persons have been taken away and given to others who made a better use of them? Hence the propriety of that exhortation, Rev. 3:11: Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. The gracious God never called a man to perform a work without furnishing him with adequate strength; and to refuse to do it on the pretense of inability is little short of rebellion against God."
This very much speaks to me. How often I have fretted and agonized over troubles in my life, even when I believe the Lord has shown me otherwise. I must hold fast to that word of my Lord and give it all over to Him, trusting in the One who has, countless times in my life, shown Himself to be working for me. How can I possibly doubt his ability now? He loves us and works all things to the good to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28). Just like with Moses, God had shown His power time and time again, yet Moses seemed to doubt His ability in this; if Moses can be described as rebelling against God, how much more so would be the charge against me!
When the Spirit rested on the seventy elders, they prophesied, but did not do so again. This appears to be the best translation of this scripture. The KJV said "they prophesied, and did not cease." However, almost all other translations say that they did not do it again. Indeed the original word "yasaph" translated as "cease" in the KJV, was only used that way in this one verse. Most often the word is used to mean "more", "again", or "add". As a matter of fact, out of all the dozens, perhaps even hundreds of times it was used in scripture, the meaning was always something like adding, increasing, doing again, except for this one time when it was translated as "cease". I think it's pretty obvious the meaning was meant to be that they did not continue to prophesy. Perhaps this prophesying occurred at the moment they received the Spirit, demonstrating that they had indeed received It. However, there was no need for them to continue prophesying, as their measure of God's Holy Spirit was to be used for governing, not prophesying. On this occasion, the prophesying was just evidence that they had received the Spirit. If indeed the Lord took of the Spirit that Moses had had all along, this prophesying would certainly have been visual and audible proof to Moses that he had had all along God's Spirit to perform the duties he had been called to perform.
(26) But there remained two men in the camp, the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad, and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but they did not go out to the tabernacle, and they prophesied in the camp.
Two men, Eldad and Medad, were among the seventy elders that had been referenced above, but they remained in the camp, rather than going to the tabernacle, as had been instructed, to stand with Moses when the Lord came down to speak with him and give His Spirit to the seventy elders (v. 16-17). Why they didn't do as instructed, we are not told; perhaps it was out of modesty and humility, or a sense of their weakness and inability to do what was being asked of them. The point is, God's Spirit reached them in their camp, and they prophesied there in the camp.
(27) And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
A young man who heard Eldad and Medad prophesying in the camp, ran to tell Moses about it, thinking it must be without the knowledge of Moses and perhaps diminishing his authority.
(28) And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, "My lord Moses, forbid them."
Joshua, a servant of Moses and one of his close inner circle of men, it seems, called on Moses to forbid them from prophesying, fearing perhaps that it might lead to division or rebellion.
(29) And Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!”
Moses asked Joshua if he was jealous (or zealous, as the word can also mean) for Moses's sake. Moses declared he wished all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put His spirit on all of them. A similar incident occurred in the New Testament in Mark 9:38-40, when John told Jesus that he and other disciples had seen someone casting out devils in Jesus's name, and they forbade him to do it because he did not follow their group. Jesus told him not to prevent the man from doing what he was doing. After all, could mortal man perform a miracle in the name of the Lord without His spirit upon him? Could these men in the camp prophesy without God's Spirit on them? Obviously to Moses, they prophesied because of the Spirit of God, and he wished all the Lord's people could do likewise. Charles Wesley wrote a hymn about this very thing:
Moses, the minister of God,
Rebukes our partial love,
Who envy at the gifts bestow’d
On those we disapprove.
We do not our own spirit know,
Who wish to see suppress’d
The men that Jesu’s spirit show,
The men whom God hath bless’d.
Shall we the Spirit’s course restrain,
Or quench the heavenly fire?
Let God his messengers ordain,
And whom he will inspire.
Blow as he list, the Spirit’s choice
Of instruments we bless;
We will, if Christ be preached, rejoice,
And wish the word success.
Can all be prophets then? are all
Commission’d from above?
No; but whome’er the Lord shall call
We joyfully approve.
O that the Church might all receive
The spirit of prophecy,
And all in Christ accepted live,
And all in Jesus die!
*Short Hymns on Select Passages of the Holy Scriptures, by Charles Wesley, M. A., and Presbyter of the Church of England. Bristol, 1762. 2 vols.
(30) And Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
Moses and the seventy elders of Israel then left the door of the tabernacle and returned to their camp.
(31) And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the face of the earth.
The Lord caused a wind to come forth bringing quails from the sea. He let them fall on the camp, as wide as a day's journey on either side of the camp, actually all sides of the camp, as they fell all around the camp. They fell about two cubits, or about a yard, above the face of the earth, easily within reach of the people.
(32) And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails; he who gathered the least gathered ten homers; and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.
The fact that the people stood up for two days gathering quails, indicates that the quail did not fall to the ground, but rather fell to about two cubits above the ground, so that the people could grab them as they flew. They gathered so many that even the person who gathered the fewest gathered ten homers, over 60 bushels. The people spread them out all around the camp so that they might dry and perhaps be salted and preserved for future use. Adam Clarke supposed that they may have done as was a custom in Egypt, plucked and then buried the birds in the hot sand for a few minutes, thus preparing them for use.
(33) And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague.
While the flesh of the birds was yet between their teeth, before it was even chewed, the wrath of the Lord was aroused against them, and he struck them with a very great plague. Think of the lustful greed and gluttony of the people to collect more than 60 bushels of quail each! Consider how the Lord had told them through Moses (v. 19 above) that they would have meat until they were sick because they had despised the goodness and provision of the Lord and had longed for their days in Egypt. He had warned them they would be sick and told them why, but they were lustful anyway. God often grants the desires of our hearts, but if it be an inordinate lust for it, it may be that He grants it to teach us a valuable lesson. A couple of the psalms spoke of this incident:
He also rained meat on them like the dust,
Feathered fowl like the sand of the seas;
And He let them fall in the midst of their camp,
All around their dwellings.
So they ate and were well filled,
For He gave them their own desire.
They were not estranged from their lust;
But while their meat was yet in their mouths,
The wrath of God came against them,
And slew the fattest of them,
And struck down the chosen men of Israel.
- Psalm 78:27-31
They soon forgot His works;
They did not wait for His counsel,
But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,
And tempted God in the desert.
And He gave them their request,
But sent leanness into their soul.
- Psalm 106:13-15
Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, made an interesting comparison between the Israelites here and David in 2 Samuel 23: "David longed for the water of the well of Bethlehem, but would not drink it when he had it, because it was obtained by venturing; much more reason these Israelites had to refuse this flesh, which was obtained by murmuring, and which, they might easily perceive, by what Moses said, was given them in anger; but those that are under the power of a carnal mind will have their lusts fulfilled, though it be to the certain damage and ruin of their precious souls."
Mr. Henry, in his Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, wrote the following commentary on David's refusal of the water for which he had longed:
David once earnestly longed for the water at the well of Bethlehem. It seems to be an instance of weakness. He was thirsty; with the water of that well he had often refreshed himself when a youth, and it was without due thought that he desired it. Were his valiant men so forward to expose themselves, upon the least hint of their prince's mind, and so eager to please him, and shall not we long to approve ourselves to our Lord Jesus, by ready compliance with his will, as shown us by his word, Spirit, and providence? But David poured out the water as a drink-offering to the Lord. Thus he would cross his own foolish fancy, and punish himself for indulging it, and show that he had sober thoughts to correct his rash ones, and knew how to deny himself. Did David look upon that water as very precious which was got at the hazard of these men's blood, and shall not we much more value those benefits for purchasing which our blessed Saviour shed his blood? Let all beware of neglecting so great salvation.
Should not the Israelites have so valued the providence of their Lord?
(34) And he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who lusted.
Whether "he" referred to God or perhaps Moses, the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah, which literally meant “graves of lust”, because there they buried the people who lusted. This shows that the plague did not seize all the people, but just those who inordinately lusted for the meat, or if it did seize all the people who ate of the quail, it only killed the ones with an excessive and seemingly insatiable lust.
(35) And the people journeyed from Kibroth Hattaavah to Hazeroth, and camped at Hazeroth.
The people then journeyed from Kibroth Hattaavah to Hazeroth, where they camped again. In the last chapter we were told that the people journeyed from the wilderness of Sinai to the wilderness of Paran. At the beginning of this chapter, we were told that the place where they camped was called Taberah. Kibroth Hattaavah was either the same place, renamed after the plague from lust, or perhaps it could have been a neighboring place, also in the wilderness of Paran.
Adam Clarke's words sum up this chapter nicely:
We hear of such punishments, and yet walk in the same way, presuming on God’s mercy, while we continue to provoke his justice. Let us settle it in our minds as an indisputable truth, that God is better acquainted with our wants than we are ourselves; that he knows infinitely better what we need; and that he is ever more ready to hear than we are to pray, and is wont to give more than we can desire or deserve...In no case has God at any time withheld from his meanest followers any of the spiritual or temporal mercies they needed. Were he to call us to travel through a wilderness, he would send us bread from heaven, or cause the wilderness to smile and blossom as the rose. How strange is it that we will neither believe that God has worked, or will work, unless we see him working!
(Numbers 11:1) And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD; and the LORD heard it, and his anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.
In the last chapter and post, the people had just removed from Sinai and traveled three days' journey to Paran. Now we read the people complained. We aren't told exactly what they complained about, but I don't think that matters. The Lord was with them all the time; He was their guide through the wilderness; He provided their food; He was bringing them to a place flowing with milk and honey, a place they had done nothing to earn. He took care of their needs; what did they have to complain about? I used to really marvel at how ungrateful the Israelites in the wilderness were, as there will be many more instances of their complaining in the chapters to come. However, what an illustration of our own complaining in our current circumstances! Most of us have a roof over our heads, a warm bed in which to sleep, food to eat, some mode of transportation, and many more comforts that people in third world countries never dream of having, yet it seems we can always come up with something to complain about!
The Lord was very displeased about the complaining. We humans can understand that. Think of a husband who thinks he gives his all to his family, but his wife complains it's not enough. Think of the wife who feels she does everything for her family, but receives only complaints it is not good enough. Think of parents who give all to their children, but the children complain of mistreatment. There is no way to even compare the kind of blessings the Lord gives to our human efforts, so it is very understandable that the Lord would be displeased about this complaining. His anger was kindled, and His fire consumed the people who were in the outermost parts of the camp. I can hear the outcries about how a loving God could get angry and kill His own people who complained against Him. However, I believe everything the Lord did was an effort to bring His people back to Him, to have them learn to depend on Him, their only source of life. Isn't it loving and merciful to discipline a child? To allow a child to always get his way and to complain when things don't go his way does no service to him, but can make him a very obnoxious adult.
As far as why one person has to die to teach others a lesson, I have come to have peace with that. When we realize this earth is not our home, and that nothing on this earth comes close to comparing with our rewards to come, when we realize that we each have a purpose from our Creator, we can be joyful that He used us to bring about His purposes! For those who have ever wondered what purpose their life has--it may be to live a Christ-led life as an example to others. When people see the joy and peace one can have, even in the worst troubles, it can make them seek the source of that peace and joy. When we truly understand that to die off this earth is not the end, but the beginning of a glorious eternal life, we have no reason to mourn for those who are taken before their time. What about a person who is taken in the midst of wrongdoing? Does he not get the chance to repent and come to Christ? Again I have come to realize there is no need to worry about this. God knows our hearts. He knows what we have done and what we will ever do. He is a fair and just God. It's His very nature! He can't help but do the "right" thing! God is not a vengeful God just waiting to catch someone not acting right so He can show His awesome power and zap them from the face of the earth! He may show His awesome power to teach us a lesson for our own good and for our life everlasting; and if someone is taken from this world prematurely, you can bet your life the Lord will give him his just reward, and the reward he would have deserved if he had lived 50 years longer. God knows the heart, and what the heart has done and what it will do forevermore.
(2) And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed to the LORD, the fire was quenched.
The people cried out to Moses, being frightened at the fire which consumed many of them, lest it should spread and consume them, too. When Moses prayed to the Lord on behalf of the people, the fire ceased. Moses was the mediator between God and the people, an intercessor, as Christ is our intercessor for our transgressions we will certainly commit.
(3) And he called the name of the place Taberah, because the fire of the LORD burnt among them.
Moses called the place Taberah, which literally meant "burning", for the obvious reason that the fire of the Lord had burned among them there.
(4) And the mixed multitude who were among them fell into a lusting; and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, “Who will give us meat to eat?"
In Exodus 12:38, we learned that a "mixed multitude" came out of Egypt with the Israelites. Perhaps some came because they could see that the Lord of the Israelites was the one true God and wanted to follow Him, but very probably many left because their own land had been laid waste by the plagues. Why would this kind of people have been allowed to come with the Israelites? I believe to again teach us a lesson. It seems the mixed multitude were the first to start complaining about not having meat to eat, but the children of Israel listened to their complaints and readily began to agree with them. Once again, the children of Israel were complaining. How easily can a few malcontents sow discord! The Bible refers to this time and again: "Be not deceived; evil communications corrupt good manners." (1 Corinthians 15:33) "Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?" (1 Cor. 5:6b) "Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them." (Romans 16:17). While it may have been the mixed multitude who started it, the Israelites far too easily forgot the care and blessings of their Lord! They began crying out about who would give them meat to eat.
(5) “We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic."
The people reminisced about "the good ol' days" in Egypt when they ate of an abundance of fish, cucumbers, melons, etc. Imagine whining about missing something in Egypt, from the place where they were in miserable slavery, from the terrible place from which their Lord rescued them! Once again, I used to be awestruck at the Israelites doing this, but I am quite sure each of us is quite capable of romanticizing his past and longing for it, not recognizing the current blessings of the Lord who may have rescued him from his past.
(6) "But now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all, besides this manna, before our eyes."
The Israelites complained they were wasting away and half-starved because all they had was that manna! I'll have more to say about that after the next few verses:
(7) And the manna was like coriander seed, and its color like the color of bdellium. (8) The people went about and gathered it, ground it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, baked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. (9) And when the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it.
I believe these verses were inserted to show how unreasonable the complaints of the Israelites were. The manna was like small round seeds that fell every night on the dew. It was the color of bdellium. There is some discrepancy among Biblical scholars about what this might mean. Bdellium is defined as a fragrant yellowish transparent gum. Genesis 2:12 spoke of the gold of the land with bdellium and the onyx stone. The original word translated as "bdellium" was "bedolach", and some believe that rather than bdellium, "bdeloah" was meant, which was said to be a precious stone, perhaps like a pearl. Whether golden or like pearls, the sense is that manna was very pleasant, both in appearance, and in taste. Having the taste of fresh oil meant it was not dry and tasteless. The people didn't have to work or search for their food. It fell every night while they slept, and they had only to gather it and prepare it as they desired, and it was good! Yet they dared to complain.
(10) Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent; and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased.
Moses heard the people weeping and moaning throughout their families; it seems it must have been very general throughout the camps. It seemed every man was publicly weeping at the door of his tent, not content to keep his complaining to himself. The anger of the Lord was understandably great against them. He provided their every need, but instead of gratefulness and thanksgiving, they complained and lusted for what they did not have. They even longed for what they had had in Egypt, for which they had endured so much hardship and ill treatment! From that which the Lord had rescued them, they longed to go back to! It seems unbelievable, but I don't doubt for a minute, that we can sometimes do this very thing, not recognizing the many blessings of the Lord in our lives. Even Moses was displeased with this unreasonable exhibition by the people after so many blessings of their Lord.
(11) And Moses said to the LORD, "Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me?"
Here we see that Moses's displeasure was not just because the people complained against His Lord, but also because he was burdened with leading this ungrateful lot. When you think about it, you can see that Moses demonstrated some of the same ungratefulness to His Lord as did the Israelites; he undervalued the great honor God had bestowed on him. The one thing Moses did that the people did not was to take his problem to the Lord. The people could have prayed to the Lord, thanking Him for His blessings, but that if it be His will, might they also have a little meat. It still would have shown some selfish ungratefulness, but would have been better to take their request to God, than to gin up discontent among all the people. Moses seemed to be doing his own wailing to the Lord asking why he was so mistreated by the Lord. Had he not found favor in that the Lord bestowed this great honor on him that he should be the leader of God's own people? Rather than thankfulness for that, and praying for help in this situation, as he had consulted the Lord many times before when he needed guidance, he went into a pity party of his own.
(12) "Have I conceived all this people? Have I begotten them, that You should say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom, as a nursing father bears the suckling child,' to the land which You swore to their fathers?"
Moses began to lay on the complaining and self-pity a bit thickly. He complained that these weren't his children or his responsibility, that the Lord should make him take care of them and carry them into the land that the Lord had promised, maybe even insinuating that he, Moses, was not the one who wanted them to go to this land.
(13) “Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep to me, saying, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’"
Moses now gets to the problem with which he needs help, where was he to get the meat that the people cried to him for? Note how Moses magnified his own performance. Even in the verse before this one--was he really the one who carried the children of Israel? Did not the Lord guide them, protect them, and give them food? Now he acts as though it is his burdensome responsibility to get them meat, as if he was the one who gave them manna to eat. He even acts as though it was a reasonable request, rather than reproving them for their complaining and ingratitude, and reminding them of the manna which was provided for them every day, with which they should have been content.
(14) "I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me."
Did Moses forget he was not at all alone? Without God leading and providing and advising, he would have seen what a heavy burden it really could have been! Additionally, back in Exodus 18, Moses's father-in-law advised him to select rulers who could judge the smaller matters, which he did, and it was only the hard cases that were brought to Moses. However, it was true that Moses alone was the mediator between the people and God, and he was responsible for the hardest cases.
(15) "And if You deal this way with me, please kill me, out of hand, if I have found favor in Your sight; and do not let me see my wretchedness.”
Moses told God that if He continued to lay this burden on him, he asked that God kill him immediately; if God looked on Moses favorably, Moses felt He could do this for him and take him out of his misery.
(16) "And the LORD said to Moses, “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; and bring them to the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with you."
God graciously overlooked Moses's unbecoming speeches to Him, and told him to gather seventy men of the elders of Israel, men Moses knew to be the elders and officers of the people, very likely some of the rulers that had been selected according to his father-in-law's advice in Exodus 18:21. God told Moses to bring the seventy men to the tabernacle to stand with him.
How wonderful and gracious of God to not admonish Moses! God lovingly allowed a mere man to speak to Him in that way. What a wonderful example to show that it's okay to take our frustrations to God and pour our hearts out to Him! He was angry with the people who murmured and complained to each other and stirred up strife and dissent, but helped Moses in his misery when Moses had taken the problem directly to Him, the only One who could fix the problem. I am reminded of the Shunammite woman in a later passage in 2 Kings 4. The prophet Elisha promised her a son which she did, in fact, conceive and had a baby boy. When the son was older, he had an accident and died. She grabbed her son and rode directly to the man of God who had prophesied that son. When Elisha's servant ran out to meet the woman, he asked her if all was well with her and with her son. She answered ALL WAS WELL! It certainly was not well, but there was no need to complain to this man who could do nothing about it. She took her problem directly to the one who had given her the son, as far as she knew. She even complained to him that she had not asked for this son, and reminded him that she had told him not to deceive her about it, in essence, meaning not to do this cruel thing of giving her a son only to take him away. Elisha rebuked his servant who had tried to come between the woman and Elisha, saying to let her alone as he could see her soul was terribly vexed. In the end, Elisha prayed to God and the son's life was restored. In this same way, Moses's soul was vexed under the weight of his burden, but he did not spread his unhappiness and feelings of unfairness to the people; he took it directly to God, and God honored that. Job did this. When his wife told him to curse God and die because of all his afflictions, he did not. It's true that God did verbally admonish Job somewhat when he continually questioned his fate, but in the end, God blessed him mightily and gave him twice as much as he had had before. I think this proves that it's okay to complain to God in our misery! He understands our human weaknesses, but it's important to take it to Him, and if our feelings are in error, He will show us the way and help us through it.
(17) "And I will come down and talk with with you there; and I will take of the Spirit which is upon you and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone."
Once again we hear a patient and gracious God. Although Moses had spoken so boldly to God, He did not break off communication with him, but rather said He would "come down and talk with" him, possibly by some visible sign of his presence, but surely at the very least by an audible one. God told Moses He would give the same Spirit He had given to Moses and give it to these seventy men so that they could righteously judge the people, so that Moses would not have to bear the burden alone. Note that God equips those He calls with what is necessary for them to do what He has called them to do. One might argue that God had given Moses what He needed to do this job God had called him to do. Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, suggested that this was a mild reproof by God to tell Moses that he had been given the spiritual gifts he needed to do the job God had called him to do, but He graciously agreed to give the same Spirit to the seventy men to help him.
(18) "And you say to the people, 'Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the LORD, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt.” Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you shall eat.'"
Moses was to tell the people to sanctify themselves and prepare to meet the power of their God the next day. He was to tell them that they had wept and complained openly and audibly, and the Lord had heard them. They had wondered who would give them meat, for it had been well with them in Egypt, so the Lord was going to give them meat and they would eat.
(19) "‘You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, (20) But even a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have despised the LORD who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?”’”
Think about what the people had suggested. Who would give them meat? Who was it who was with them continually supplying all their needs? They said that it had been well with them in Egypt, implying that it had been an injury to them for God to bring them out of bondage in Egypt. They despised their Lord among them and His continual blessings, and lusted for more. God would give them what they lusted for. It occurs to me that perhaps the Lord would match the amount of meat He would give them to the measure of their greedy excessive lust. They would have meat for a whole month until they were sick of it and vomiting it, and until it was completely loathsome to them.
(21) And Moses said, “The people whom I am among are six hundred thousand footmen, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month.’ (22) Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to provide enough for them?”
Moses spoke back to the Lord telling Him, as if He didn't know, that there were 600,000 men on foot, or footmen or soldiers ready for war, besides the women and children, and He had said He would give them meat for a month? He questions how it will be done. It's as if Moses questions God's word or His power to provide what He said He would.
(23) And the LORD said to Moses, "Has the LORD’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether My word shall come to pass to you or not.”
This does sound like a rebuke to Moses. Had His power diminished? Was the same power that parted the Red Sea, rained down manna from heaven for all the people to eat daily, and brought water from a rock for all the people to drink, now suddenly unable to give the people meat to eat for a month? God told Moses he would see whether or not what He had said would come to pass.
(24) And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the LORD, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle.
Moses went out to the people and told them what the Lord had said. He gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and brought them around the tabernacle.
(25) And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it came to pass, that when the spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but did not do so again.
The Lord came down in a cloud, probably the pillar of cloud that was continually among the people, and spoke to Moses. He took of the Spirit that was upon Moses and placed the same upon the seventy elders. The exact wording is particularly interesting. Did God take from the Holy Spirit that was upon Moses and distribute it among the seventy elders? My first impulse was of course not! The Holy Spirit is not a finite thing that must be cut into parts. This probably means that the same Holy Spirit God had given Moses was given to the seventy elders. However, Adam Clarke had an interesting take:
"To convince Moses that God had sufficiently qualified him for the work which he had given him to do, he tells him that of the gifts and graces which he has given him he will qualify seventy persons to bear the charge with him. This was probably intended as a gracious reproof. Query. Did not Moses lose a measure of his gifts in this business? And is it not right that he whom God has called to and qualified for some particular office, should lose those gifts which he either undervalues or refuses to employ for God in the way appointed? Is there not much reason to believe that many cases have occurred where the spiritual endowments of particular persons have been taken away and given to others who made a better use of them? Hence the propriety of that exhortation, Rev. 3:11: Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. The gracious God never called a man to perform a work without furnishing him with adequate strength; and to refuse to do it on the pretense of inability is little short of rebellion against God."
This very much speaks to me. How often I have fretted and agonized over troubles in my life, even when I believe the Lord has shown me otherwise. I must hold fast to that word of my Lord and give it all over to Him, trusting in the One who has, countless times in my life, shown Himself to be working for me. How can I possibly doubt his ability now? He loves us and works all things to the good to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28). Just like with Moses, God had shown His power time and time again, yet Moses seemed to doubt His ability in this; if Moses can be described as rebelling against God, how much more so would be the charge against me!
When the Spirit rested on the seventy elders, they prophesied, but did not do so again. This appears to be the best translation of this scripture. The KJV said "they prophesied, and did not cease." However, almost all other translations say that they did not do it again. Indeed the original word "yasaph" translated as "cease" in the KJV, was only used that way in this one verse. Most often the word is used to mean "more", "again", or "add". As a matter of fact, out of all the dozens, perhaps even hundreds of times it was used in scripture, the meaning was always something like adding, increasing, doing again, except for this one time when it was translated as "cease". I think it's pretty obvious the meaning was meant to be that they did not continue to prophesy. Perhaps this prophesying occurred at the moment they received the Spirit, demonstrating that they had indeed received It. However, there was no need for them to continue prophesying, as their measure of God's Holy Spirit was to be used for governing, not prophesying. On this occasion, the prophesying was just evidence that they had received the Spirit. If indeed the Lord took of the Spirit that Moses had had all along, this prophesying would certainly have been visual and audible proof to Moses that he had had all along God's Spirit to perform the duties he had been called to perform.
(26) But there remained two men in the camp, the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad, and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but they did not go out to the tabernacle, and they prophesied in the camp.
Two men, Eldad and Medad, were among the seventy elders that had been referenced above, but they remained in the camp, rather than going to the tabernacle, as had been instructed, to stand with Moses when the Lord came down to speak with him and give His Spirit to the seventy elders (v. 16-17). Why they didn't do as instructed, we are not told; perhaps it was out of modesty and humility, or a sense of their weakness and inability to do what was being asked of them. The point is, God's Spirit reached them in their camp, and they prophesied there in the camp.
(27) And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
A young man who heard Eldad and Medad prophesying in the camp, ran to tell Moses about it, thinking it must be without the knowledge of Moses and perhaps diminishing his authority.
(28) And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, "My lord Moses, forbid them."
Joshua, a servant of Moses and one of his close inner circle of men, it seems, called on Moses to forbid them from prophesying, fearing perhaps that it might lead to division or rebellion.
(29) And Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!”
Moses asked Joshua if he was jealous (or zealous, as the word can also mean) for Moses's sake. Moses declared he wished all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put His spirit on all of them. A similar incident occurred in the New Testament in Mark 9:38-40, when John told Jesus that he and other disciples had seen someone casting out devils in Jesus's name, and they forbade him to do it because he did not follow their group. Jesus told him not to prevent the man from doing what he was doing. After all, could mortal man perform a miracle in the name of the Lord without His spirit upon him? Could these men in the camp prophesy without God's Spirit on them? Obviously to Moses, they prophesied because of the Spirit of God, and he wished all the Lord's people could do likewise. Charles Wesley wrote a hymn about this very thing:
Moses, the minister of God,
Rebukes our partial love,
Who envy at the gifts bestow’d
On those we disapprove.
We do not our own spirit know,
Who wish to see suppress’d
The men that Jesu’s spirit show,
The men whom God hath bless’d.
Shall we the Spirit’s course restrain,
Or quench the heavenly fire?
Let God his messengers ordain,
And whom he will inspire.
Blow as he list, the Spirit’s choice
Of instruments we bless;
We will, if Christ be preached, rejoice,
And wish the word success.
Can all be prophets then? are all
Commission’d from above?
No; but whome’er the Lord shall call
We joyfully approve.
O that the Church might all receive
The spirit of prophecy,
And all in Christ accepted live,
And all in Jesus die!
*Short Hymns on Select Passages of the Holy Scriptures, by Charles Wesley, M. A., and Presbyter of the Church of England. Bristol, 1762. 2 vols.
(30) And Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
Moses and the seventy elders of Israel then left the door of the tabernacle and returned to their camp.
(31) And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the face of the earth.
The Lord caused a wind to come forth bringing quails from the sea. He let them fall on the camp, as wide as a day's journey on either side of the camp, actually all sides of the camp, as they fell all around the camp. They fell about two cubits, or about a yard, above the face of the earth, easily within reach of the people.
(32) And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails; he who gathered the least gathered ten homers; and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.
The fact that the people stood up for two days gathering quails, indicates that the quail did not fall to the ground, but rather fell to about two cubits above the ground, so that the people could grab them as they flew. They gathered so many that even the person who gathered the fewest gathered ten homers, over 60 bushels. The people spread them out all around the camp so that they might dry and perhaps be salted and preserved for future use. Adam Clarke supposed that they may have done as was a custom in Egypt, plucked and then buried the birds in the hot sand for a few minutes, thus preparing them for use.
(33) And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague.
While the flesh of the birds was yet between their teeth, before it was even chewed, the wrath of the Lord was aroused against them, and he struck them with a very great plague. Think of the lustful greed and gluttony of the people to collect more than 60 bushels of quail each! Consider how the Lord had told them through Moses (v. 19 above) that they would have meat until they were sick because they had despised the goodness and provision of the Lord and had longed for their days in Egypt. He had warned them they would be sick and told them why, but they were lustful anyway. God often grants the desires of our hearts, but if it be an inordinate lust for it, it may be that He grants it to teach us a valuable lesson. A couple of the psalms spoke of this incident:
He also rained meat on them like the dust,
Feathered fowl like the sand of the seas;
And He let them fall in the midst of their camp,
All around their dwellings.
So they ate and were well filled,
For He gave them their own desire.
They were not estranged from their lust;
But while their meat was yet in their mouths,
The wrath of God came against them,
And slew the fattest of them,
And struck down the chosen men of Israel.
- Psalm 78:27-31
They soon forgot His works;
They did not wait for His counsel,
But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,
And tempted God in the desert.
And He gave them their request,
But sent leanness into their soul.
- Psalm 106:13-15
Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, made an interesting comparison between the Israelites here and David in 2 Samuel 23: "David longed for the water of the well of Bethlehem, but would not drink it when he had it, because it was obtained by venturing; much more reason these Israelites had to refuse this flesh, which was obtained by murmuring, and which, they might easily perceive, by what Moses said, was given them in anger; but those that are under the power of a carnal mind will have their lusts fulfilled, though it be to the certain damage and ruin of their precious souls."
Mr. Henry, in his Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, wrote the following commentary on David's refusal of the water for which he had longed:
David once earnestly longed for the water at the well of Bethlehem. It seems to be an instance of weakness. He was thirsty; with the water of that well he had often refreshed himself when a youth, and it was without due thought that he desired it. Were his valiant men so forward to expose themselves, upon the least hint of their prince's mind, and so eager to please him, and shall not we long to approve ourselves to our Lord Jesus, by ready compliance with his will, as shown us by his word, Spirit, and providence? But David poured out the water as a drink-offering to the Lord. Thus he would cross his own foolish fancy, and punish himself for indulging it, and show that he had sober thoughts to correct his rash ones, and knew how to deny himself. Did David look upon that water as very precious which was got at the hazard of these men's blood, and shall not we much more value those benefits for purchasing which our blessed Saviour shed his blood? Let all beware of neglecting so great salvation.
Should not the Israelites have so valued the providence of their Lord?
(34) And he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who lusted.
Whether "he" referred to God or perhaps Moses, the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah, which literally meant “graves of lust”, because there they buried the people who lusted. This shows that the plague did not seize all the people, but just those who inordinately lusted for the meat, or if it did seize all the people who ate of the quail, it only killed the ones with an excessive and seemingly insatiable lust.
(35) And the people journeyed from Kibroth Hattaavah to Hazeroth, and camped at Hazeroth.
The people then journeyed from Kibroth Hattaavah to Hazeroth, where they camped again. In the last chapter we were told that the people journeyed from the wilderness of Sinai to the wilderness of Paran. At the beginning of this chapter, we were told that the place where they camped was called Taberah. Kibroth Hattaavah was either the same place, renamed after the plague from lust, or perhaps it could have been a neighboring place, also in the wilderness of Paran.
Adam Clarke's words sum up this chapter nicely:
We hear of such punishments, and yet walk in the same way, presuming on God’s mercy, while we continue to provoke his justice. Let us settle it in our minds as an indisputable truth, that God is better acquainted with our wants than we are ourselves; that he knows infinitely better what we need; and that he is ever more ready to hear than we are to pray, and is wont to give more than we can desire or deserve...In no case has God at any time withheld from his meanest followers any of the spiritual or temporal mercies they needed. Were he to call us to travel through a wilderness, he would send us bread from heaven, or cause the wilderness to smile and blossom as the rose. How strange is it that we will neither believe that God has worked, or will work, unless we see him working!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)