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

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(11) And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice; and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

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

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

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

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

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

(14) And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, “Thus says your brother Israel, ‘You know all the hardship that has befallen us, (15) How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers. (16) And when we cried to the LORD, He heard our voice and sent an angel, and brought us forth out of Egypt; and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of your border. (17) Please let us pass through your country; we will not pass through the fields or through the vineyards, nor will we drink water from the wells; we will go by the king's highway, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed your borders.'"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Water of Purification Made of the Ashes of a Red Heifer

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Numbers 19:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, (2) “This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without spot, in which there is no blemish, and on which never came a yoke.'"

In the last post, Aaron had been established and confirmed by God in the priesthood; and because the people had been afraid they would die if they came near the tabernacle, God had also given full instructions regarding the office of the priesthood and the priests' responsibility to bear the iniquity of the sanctuary.  Now the Lord spoke to both Moses and Aaron, telling them that what followed was the ordinance, or order or direction, of the law that the Lord had commanded when He had told them to tell the children of Israel to bring to them a red heifer, without spot or defect, and one that had never had a yoke.  The heifer was a symbol of Jesus Christ with spotless purity.  The fact that it was to be red, perhaps being more rare, made it more remarkable and seemingly perfect.  Red being the color of blood signified Christ's own blood shed for our sins.  One that never had a yoke symbolized Jesus Christ's voluntary offer to sacrifice Himself, bound by no other cords than His love for us.  All the children of Israel were to bring this heifer, as all were to have a joint interest in it, as all believers have in Christ.

(3) "'And you shall give her to Eleazar the priest, that he may bring her outside the camp, and one shall slay her before his face.'"

Eleazar was Aaron's son and was probably the second highest priest.  The heifer was brought to him, probably to keep Aaron as high priest, completely preserved from any uncleanness.  However, Eleazar himself was not to slay the heifer, but someone else in his sight; and that was to be done outside the camp.

(4) "'And Eleazar the priest shall take of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle of its blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times.'"

Eleazar was to take some of the heifer's blood with his finger, and being outside the camp, was to sprinkle the blood directly toward the tabernacle seven times.  Again this is symbolic of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  The number seven represents completeness or perfection in the Bible.  Christ's blood was shed outside the gate (Hebrews 13:12), and was a complete and perfect sacrifice for our sins by the finger of God.

(5) "'And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; he shall burn its skin, its flesh, and its blood, with its dung.'"

Someone other than Eleazar the priest was to burn the heifer with Eleazar looking on.  The heifer was to be wholly burnt, its hide, flesh, blood, and even its dung.  Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, wrote that the complete burning of all parts of the heifer "may denote the extent of Christ's sufferings, reaching to all parts of his body, skin, flesh, and blood, and the shame and reproach that attended them, signified by dung; as well as how impure and accursed he was accounted when he was made sin for his people, bore their sins and suffered for them, even not in body only, but in his soul also; for his soul as well as his body were made an offering for sin."

(6) "'And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, and cast them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer.'"

The priest, presumably Eleazar, was then to take cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet ribbon, probably with the hyssop wrapped around the cedar wood and bound by the scarlet ribbon, and cast them into the fire that was burning the heifer.  These three things were also used in the cleansing of a leper in Leviticus 4:4.  For the significance of these three particular items, Dr. Gill referenced Maimonides, the Jewish medieval scholar, who wrote "the cedar wood, being durable, may denote the continued efficacy of Christ's sufferings; the hyssop, being purgative and of a good smell, the purging nature of Christ's sacrifice, who by himself purged away our sins, and the sweet odour thereof ascended to the Lord; and the scarlet, the sins of his people destroyed thereby."

(7) "‘Then the priest shall wash his clothes, he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp; and the priest shall be unclean until the evening.'"

Then the priest, Eleazar, was to wash himself and his clothes, and was considered unclean until the evening, but was then able to return to the camp. 

(8) "‘And the one who burns it shall wash his clothes in water, bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the evening.'"

The one who burned the heifer in sight of Eleazar was also to wash himself and his clothes, and was considered unclean until the evening.

(9) "'And a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up outside the camp in a clean place; and they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation; it is a purification for sin.'"

Then a man who was ceremonially clean was to gather the ashes of the heifer and put them in a clean place outside the camp.  The ashes were to be kept for the children of Israel as "a water of separation".  The original word translated as "separation" was "niddah" and more completely meant "rejection, impurity, filthiness", and therefore to be separated.  The ashes were mixed with water to be a purification for sin.  "Water of purifying" was referenced before in Numbers 8:7.

(10) "‘And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening; and it shall be to the children of Israel, and to the stranger that sojourns among them, for a statute forever.'"

The one who gathered the ashes of the heifer was also considered unclean, and must wash and be considered unclean until the evening.  This was to be a statute forever to the children of Israel and to any foreigner who dwelt with them.  Forever, at least until the Messiah came and shed His blood to be "laid up" for us for a continual purification for our sins.

(11) "‘He who touches the dead body of anyone shall be unclean seven days.'"

Anyone who touched the dead body of a person would be unclean for seven days, whereas it was only one day for a dead animal.  Once again I was struck by Adam Clarke's (Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible) assertion that man was no better than an animal, in this case seven times worse!

"How low does this lay man! He who touched a dead beast was only unclean for one day; but he who touches a dead man is unclean for seven days. This was certainly designed to mark the peculiar impurity of man, and to show his sinfulness - seven times worse than the vilest animal! O thou son of the morning, how art thou fallen!"

My first thought was that man was more important than an animal, and by that reasoning, more would be required.  However, I can see that I didn't have the proper respect for the sinless perfect nature of God that I should, and fully understand the filthy sinful nature of man.  Animals don't have a conscience and the ability to choose sin as people do.  Only man can have the particular impurity of sin.  Sinful acts against God are surely seven times worse than the most unclean beast.

(12) "'He shall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean; but if he does not purify himself on the third day then the seventh day he shall not be clean.'"

The man who touched a dead body must purify himself with the water of ashes described in verse 9 on the third day of his seven day period of uncleanness.  It will become clear in a later verse that he must perform this purification on the third and seventh days of his period of uncleanness, but what this verse expresses is that if he fails to do it on the third day, he will not be clean on the seventh day, even if he should purify on the seventh day.

(13) "‘Whoever touches the dead body of any man who is dead, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD, and that soul shall be cut off from Israel; because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is still upon him.'"

If a person who had touched the dead body of a person failed to purify himself, he defiled the tabernacle of the Lord with his uncleanness, and would be cut off from Israel.  This might mean excommunication from the church, death by the government, or even death by the immediate hand of God.  In the past, whenever I have seen the word "soul" used as it is in this verse, I accepted the translators' and Strong's definition of soul as a living creature, therefore a person in this case.  However, soul does indicate so much more than a merely alive and breathing man.  The body and thus the person is a physical thing.  The soul includes our thoughts, the desires of our hearts, and our wills.  When a beast dies, there is only a dead body; when a person dies, there is also a soul that either willfully or ignorantly chose to sin.  When another person touched the dead body of a sinful soul (as all people are), and did not purify himself, he chose to defile the tabernacle of God by his irreverent inaction and the apparent disrespect in his heart.  That soul must be cut off.

(14) "‘This is the law when a man dies in a tent; all who come into the tent and all who are in the tent shall be unclean seven days.'"

When a person died in a tent, as the Israelites all dwelt in tents at that time, anyone who was there when he died, or anyone who came into the tent where he remained after he died, would be unclean for seven days.

(15) "'And every open vessel, which has no covering bound upon it, is unclean.'"

Additionally, every open container that had no cover on it would be considered defiled by the death in the air considered unclean.

(16) "'And whoever touches one who is slain with a sword in the open fields, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.'"

I don't believe there is any significance in being slain by a sword; I believe the sense is that if anyone had been killed in the open fields, and didn't just die in his home as in verse 14, that anyone who touched that body or any dead body found in the open fields, or any bones of a person, or any person's grave, was to be considered unclean for seven days.

(17) "‘And for an unclean person they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin, and running water shall be put into them in a vessel.'"

For an unclean person they were to take the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin, put them in a vessel, and add only running water.  It could be water from a fountain or a spring, etc., but not from a pool of still or stagnant water.  The original word translated as "running" in this verse was "chay" and it literally means "living, alive"; only living water could be added to the ashes for purification of sin.  What a perfect symbol of the Christ to come who would give living water:  "Jesus answered and said to her, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, "Give Me a drink," you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.'" (John 4:10)

(18) "‘A clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, sprinkle it on the tent, on all the vessels, on the persons who were there, and on the one who touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave.'"

Continuing instructions for what they were to do for an unclean person, a ceremonially clean person was to take hyssop and dip it into the living water that had been mixed with the ashes of the heifer, and sprinkle it on the tent where there was a dead body, on all the open vessels inside that tent, and on all the people who were in the tent, as well as on the person who had touched the dead, or bone, or grave.

(19) "'And the clean person shall sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at evening.'"

The clean person was to sprinkle the unclean person on the third and seventh days (v. 12) of his seven day period of uncleanness.  There is some discrepancy among Biblical scholars about whether the additional purification, bathing, and washing of clothes, referred to the person who had touched the dead and become unclean for seven days, or to the person who sprinkled the unclean person, coming in contact with an unclean person, and making himself unclean for a day.  Verse 12 said nothing about bathing and washing clothes, but it seems quite reasonable that this should be done, for the unclean person to be made completely clean.  Although a later verse does stipulate that the person who sprinkled the unclean person must also wash, and would be unclean for the rest of the day, I don't think this verse was about him; if he did not bathe and wash his clothes until the seventh day, then he would have been unclean since the third day, and this verse speaks only of one who is unclean until that evening.

(20) "‘But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD; the water of separation has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean.'"

The man who was unclean because of his contact with the dead, who did not purify himself in the way described above, was to be cut off from the congregation because he had defiled the sanctuary of the Lord by coming in contact with it in his unclean state.  The water of purification had not been sprinkled on him; therefore his uncleanness was still upon him (v. 13).

(21) "And it shall be a perpetual statute to them, that he who sprinkles the water of separation shall wash his clothes; and he who touches the water of separation shall be unclean until evening."

Additionally, the Lord told Moses and Aaron that it was to be an everlasting statute to the people, that the person who sprinkled the water of purification must wash himself and his clothes, and would be considered unclean until the evening.  John Wesley, in his Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, wrote that it seemed strange that the same water would cleanse one person, but defile another who touched it.  However, this was to teach us that it was not the water itself that was so magical that it cleansed, but that it was in the way God appointed it to be used that purified.  Is that not always God's way?  It's all about the heart and motives of a person to follow the Lord and His instruction, and not in some ritualistic thing.  Think about how Jesus condemned the Pharisees who outwardly did all the "righteous" things required of them, but were full of hypocrisy and iniquity (Matthew 23).  The thing itself does not purify; only the Lord purifies.

(22) "And whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the soul who touches it shall be unclean until evening."

Whatever the unclean person spoken of throughout this chapter touched would also be unclean, and the person whom he touched or touched him would be considered unclean until the evening.

Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, explored the reason behind why touching the dead was such a defiling thing:  "Because death is the wages of sin, entered into the world by it, and reigns by the power of it. Death to mankind is another thing from what it is to other creatures: it is a curse, it is the execution of the law, and therefore the defilement of death signifies the defilement of sin."  Thankfully our Redeemer Jesus Christ came and triumphed over death!

Priesthood of Aaron Confirmed and the Charge Committed to the Priests and Levites

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Numbers 17:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (2) “Speak to the children of Israel, and take from every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers, twelve rods; write every man's name on his rod."

In the last chapter of Numbers, the Lord had caused a plague that killed 14,700 Israelites because of their murmuring against Moses and Aaron.  After the plague had ceased, the Lord spoke again to Moses.  He told him to tell the children of Israel to take from each of their twelve tribes a rod and put the name of the prince of that tribe on each rod; there would be twelve rods in all.

(3) “And you shall write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi, for there shall be one rod for the head of each father’s house."

The Lord further instructed that the rod from the tribe of Levi was to have Aaron's name on it.  He again reiterated there was to be only one rod from each tribe, meaning only one head of each tribe, and Aaron was the head of Levi, squashing all debate that had caused the recent rebellious outbreak.

(4) "And you shall lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you."

The Lord further instructed that they were to place the rods in the tabernacle before the Ark of the Testimony where the Lord would meet with them.  The Lord wouldn't physically meet with them, but His presence would surely be known to them.

(5) “And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom; and I will make to cease from Me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you."

The Lord declared to Moses that the rod of the man He Himself chose, would blossom, and thus He would put an end to the murmurings of the Israelites against him.  In the last chapter the Israelites had accused Moses of taking it upon himself to be ruler over the people and choosing his own brother to be high priest.  In this, the Lord would prove that it was He alone who chose the high priest.

(6) And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.

Moses spoke to the children of Israel as the Lord had told him to, and took a rod from each prince of his particular tribe.  There were twelve rods in all, according to the twelve tribes, and the rod of Aaron was among the twelve.

(7) And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness.

Moses laid all twelve rods before the Lord in the tabernacle in the place of the Ark of the Testimony, called witness here.

(8) And it came to pass that on the next day Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, for the house of Levi, was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.

The very next day Moses went into the tabernacle and found that not only had Aaron's rod budded, but it had bloomed blossoms and produced almonds.  It was unquestionably miraculous, showing that God Himself had chosen Aaron and the tribe of Levi to serve Him in the tabernacle.

(9) And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod.

Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord in the tabernacle for the children of Israel to see.  Each prince took his own rod.

(10) And the LORD said to Moses, “Bring Aaron’s rod back before the Testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and you shall quite take away their murmurings from me, that they not die."

The Lord told Moses to bring Aaron's rod back in before the Ark of the Testimony to be kept as a reminder to anyone who might again rebel against Aaron.  The phrase "quite take away" was King James translators' translation of the word "kalah" which better is better defined as "put an end to", "complete", "wholly reap".  Having Aaron's rod as a constant reminder that God chose Aaron and the house of Levi would serve to put an end to the murmurings and complaints of any potential rebels, lest they die.

(11) And Moses did so; just as the LORD had commanded him, so he did.

Moses did just as the Lord had instructed him to do, and brought Aaron's rod back in before the Testimony to be kept as a constant reminder of God's choice to serve Him.

(12) And the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, "Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish."

The people spoke to Moses.  They seemed to be terror-stricken by the fate of so many all around them.  They were in a sense saying to him to just look at them, they were all dying!

(13) “Whoever even comes near the tabernacle of the LORD shall die; shall we be consumed with dying?"

The people continued their cries to Moses.  It seemed to them that anyone who even came near the tabernacle of the Lord would die.  Would they all eventually die?

(Numbers 18:1) And the LORD said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood."

In answer to the people's fears, the Lord told Aaron that he and his sons and the house of Levi would be responsible for the guilt of the offenses of the people in that they would be responsible to make the necessary atonements.  They would also be responsible for any sins they themselves bore as priests.  After all, they were just mere men and would surely sin, if only unintentionally.

(2) "And bring with you your brethren of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be joined with you and minister to you; but you and your sons with you shall minister before the tabernacle of witness."

The Lord told Aaron to bring along his brethren of the tribe of Levi that they might minister and serve the priests, but it was to be Aaron and his sons only who would minister in the most holy place.  The other Levites served in the court of the tabernacle, but only the priests served in the most holy place before the Ark of the Testimony.  Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, noted a play on words.  The meaning of the word "Levi" was "joined", so the Levites were to be joined with Aaron and his sons, the priests, to assist them.

(3) "And they shall keep your charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle; only they shall not come near the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor you also, die."

The Levites were to do whatever Aaron and his sons, the priests, committed to their charge to do.  They were to assist the priests in whatever manner they required in the tabernacle, but they were not to come near the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, meaning the ark and the mercy seat, the showbread table and the candlestand, etc.  Neither were they to come near the altar to offer sacrifices of incense or burnt offerings.  The Lord warned that to do so would result in their death, as well as the death of the priests for granting them access to these holy things.

(4) "And they shall be joined to you, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle; but a stranger shall not come near to you."

Once again, there was that play on words, that those of the tribe of "Levi" would be "joined" to Aaron and his sons, the priests, and would be responsible to keep the charge of the tabernacle, for all the service it needed, but an outsider who was not of the tribe of Levi was not allowed to come near them to minister to them or the tabernacle.

(5) “And you shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar, that there be no more wrath on the children of Israel."

Aaron and his sons, the priests, were to keep the charge of the sanctuary and the altar, so that there would be no more wrath on the children of Israel, as had come upon Korah and his company.  Again, this appears to be a direct answer to the people's fearful cries in Numbers 17:12-13.

(6) "And behold, I Myself, have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel; they are given as a gift for the LORD, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation."

The Lord told Aaron that He Himself had chosen the Levites from among the children of Israel, and they were given as a gift from the Lord and for Him to assist the priests in their service of the tabernacle.

(7) “Therefore you and your sons with you shall keep your priest's office for everything of the altar and within the veil, and you shall serve; I have given your priest's office to you as a gift for service, but the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”

The Lord told Aaron that he and his sons were given the office of the priesthood to minister at the altar and within the veil as a gift.  It was a great honor to be chosen to serve in this way.  The gift was only to Aaron and his sons, the priests; any outsider who came near to do the office of the priesthood would be put to death.

(8) And the LORD spoke to Aaron, "Behold, I also have given you charge of My heave offerings of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; I have given them to you by reason of the anointing, and to your sons, by an ordinance forever."

The Lord told Aaron that He had also given him charge of His heave offerings from the children of Israel, meaning not only the charge of them, but for the use of them for them and their families.  The Lord had previously given those to Aaron and his sons in Leviticus 7:34 to be a statute forever, because of their office of the priesthood, to which they had been consecrated by anointing.

(9) “This shall be yours of the most holy things reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, every grain offering of theirs, every sin offering of theirs, and every trespass offering of theirs, which they render to Me, shall be most holy for you and your sons."

The Lord detailed to Aaron what would be his of the most holy things reserved from the fire, those parts of the sacrifices which were not burnt with fire on the altar of burnt offerings.  To be Aaron's was every offering from the children of Israel, including every grain offering made of fine flour and oil, and burnt on the altar, the remainder of which was eaten by Aaron and his sons (Lev. 6:16).  It also included every sin offering offered to make atonement for sin, which also belonged to the priests and their sons (Lev. 6:26); it included every trespass offering, what remained of this also, when burnt on the altar, was eaten by the priest and his sons (Lev. 7:6).  All these things were most holy and to be used by Aaron and his sons, the priests, only.

(10) "In the most holy place you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you."

The most holy things reserved from the fire were to be eaten in a holy place.  This did not mean the holy place or the holiest of holies, but in the holy place of the tabernacle court reserved for the priests, as opposed to eating it in the tents of the camp of Israel.  Only the males were to eat it, the sons of priests, and they only, not their wives or daughters, and therefore it was not to be eaten in their own houses.  It was holy to the priests and to be treated as such.

(11) "And this is yours: the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel; I have given them to you, and your sons and daughters with you, as an ordinance forever. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it."

In addition, the heave offering, that right shoulder given to the priest for a heave offering of the sacrifices of peace offerings (Lev. 7:32-34), and wave offerings of the children of Israel, were given to the priests to be eaten by them and their sons and daughters (Lev. 10:14), meaning they were not restricted to the males alone, but extended to their families.  It was to be an ordinance forever that these offerings were to be the priests' and their families', and permitted to be eaten in their own houses, provided they were ceremonially clean.

(12) "All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the firstfruits of them which they shall offer to the LORD, them have I given you."

The first of the best oil, wine, and wheat, those first-fruits that the people offered to the Lord, those, too, the Lord had given to Aaron and his sons, the priests.

(13) “Whatever is first ripe in the land, which they shall bring to the LORD, shall be yours; everyone who is clean in your house shall eat it."

Besides oil, wine, and wheat, whatever else ripened first in the land, was to be offered to the Lord, and was to be the priests', and everyone who was ceremonially clean in their houses was permitted to eat of it.

(14) "Everything devoted in Israel shall be yours."

Everything that was devoted solely to the Lord, such as fields, houses, livestock, etc. (Lev. 27:28), was to be for the use of the priests.

(15) “Everything that opens the womb in all flesh, which they bring to the LORD, whether man or beast, shall be yours; nevertheless the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts you shall redeem."

The firstborn of all life, whether man or beast, was to be given to the Lord, according to Exodus 13:2, and therefore was for the use of the priests.  However, the firstborn of man and the firstborn of any unclean beast, they would receive the redemption price rather than the firstborn itself.  I had to chuckle at Adam Clarke's thought about this:  "Thus vain man is ranked with the beasts that perish; and with the worst kinds of them too, those deemed unclean."  That's the kind of thinking that the godless world view has, that animals are equal to man.  This did not mean that man was ranked with unclean animals, for they were redeemed for different reasons.  Firstborn children were not be be owned and used by the priests; therefore they had to be redeemed with a monetary value that was given to the priests.  Unclean animals were not to be owned and used by priests for obviously different reasons, so they also had to be redeemed; they were redeemed with clean animals (Exodus 13:13).

(16) “And those that are to be redeemed from a month old you shall redeem, according to your estimation, for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs."

This refers to the firstborn children who were to be redeemed at one month of age, as unclean animals were to be redeemed with lambs, not money.  Children from a month old were to be redeemed for five shekels, which was said to be twenty gerahs, according to the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel.  I have given up trying to determine the value of these Biblical amounts mentioned for it seems there are so many varying views.  However, the point is that there was a standard redemption price for firstborn children.  Although the redemption price was set, the verse above states it was according to Aaron's estimation.  Perhaps the point is merely that the children were presented to Aaron at which point he declared the redemption price.  Perhaps it was his estimation that was determined according to the age of the person presented.  Leviticus 27:3-7 outlined the different values for people offering themselves or their children to the Lord.

(17) "But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and shall burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savor to the LORD."

However, the firstborn of cows, sheep, and goats were not to be redeemed, because they were holy and for the use of the priests.  They were to be sacrificed and their blood sprinkled on the altar.  Their fat was to be burned for a burnt offering, pleasing and accepted by the Lord (Lev. 7:31).

(18) “And their flesh shall be yours, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are yours."

The flesh of these firstborn animals were to be the priests', wholly, just as the wave breast and right shoulder were to be theirs (Lev. 7:34).

(19) “All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to the LORD, I have given to you and your sons and your daughters with you by a statute forever; it is a covenant of salt forever before the LORD to you and to your seed with you."

All the heave offerings of the holy things before mentioned that the children of Israel offered to the Lord, the Lord had given as a gift to Aaron and his sons, the priests, and their families, as a statute forever.  To be a covenant of salt was said to mean an incorruptible, everlasting covenant.  As salt was used to preserve from decay, it became a symbol of incorruptibility and permanence.  This was to be an everlasting covenant to Aaron and his descendants after him.

(20) And the LORD spoke to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any part among them; I am your part and your inheritance among the children of Israel. (21) And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, the service of the tabernacle of the congregation."

The Lord continued speaking to Aaron.  He told him that the tribe of Levi, with Aaron as the head, would have no inheritance in the promised land of Canaan as the other tribes would have.  God alone was to be their inheritance.  They were of the tribe that God had chosen to do His service, and they would have a special and closer relationship with Him than would the other Israelites.  In addition, God gave them the most part of the tenth or tithes that were offered to Him.  When you consider there were twelve tribes, and the Levites received a tenth whereas the other eleven tribes divided the other nine tenths, the Levites actually received a greater share than they would have if they had been given an equal share in the inheritance.  This they were given because of their service to Him in the tabernacle.

(22) "Henceforth the children of Israel must not come near the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin and die. (23) But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a statute forever, throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance."

Again, as in apparent answer to the people's fears in chapter 17 that they might all die, the Lord reiterated the caution that the children of Israel should not come near the tabernacle to do any part of the priest's office, such as burning incense as Korah and his company had done, or to do any part of the service of the Levites, such as keeping watch of the tabernacle and bearing its utensils, etc.  If any of the children of Israel did overstep their bounds and again try to perform some such work of the tabernacle, that person would bear the sin of irreverently handling holy things, disobeying the Lord's direct command, and he would die.  The Levites alone were to do the service of the tabernacle, and they would bear their sin if they failed in their duties as priests or if they willingly or by negligence allowed others to do the work that was the Levites' alone.  It was to be a statute forever that only the Levites were to perform the duties of the tabernacle, and that they would have no inheritance.  The Levites had the honor of attending the tabernacle, which was denied the rest of the Israelites, but the Israelites had the honor of inheritances in Canaan, which was denied the Levites; therefore each had reason to rejoice in the honor shown them, and not be envious and despising the other as had occurred with Dathan and Abiram in chapter 16.

(24) "But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as a heave offering to the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit; therefore I have said to them, ‘Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’”

The tithes of the children of Israel, called heave offerings because they heaved or lifted them up to the Lord, the Lord gave to the Levites as their inheritance.  That was the reason He had stated they would have no part of the inheritance given to the other tribes; they had their own inheritance as specified by the Lord.

(25) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (26) "Thus speak to the Levites, and say to them, ‘When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the LORD, a tenth part of the tithe.'"

The Lord now spoke to Moses, telling him to tell the Levites that when they received the tithes from the children of Israel that the Lord had expressly given them, they in turn were to offer a tenth part of what they received to the Lord.  All the people were to offer tithes to the Lord in praise and thanksgiving for all their blessings from Him.

(27) "‘And your heave offering shall be reckoned to you as though it were the corn of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress.'"

The heave offering of the Levites would be as acceptable to the Lord as if they had harvested it themselves.

(28) "‘Thus you shall also offer a heave offering to the LORD from all your tithes which you receive from the children of Israel, and you shall give the LORD’s heave offering from it to Aaron the priest.'"

In the manner described above, just as the Israelites offered their tithes to them, the Levites offered their tithes from the tithes received from the children of Israel, and they were to give those offerings to Aaron and the priests.

(29) "'Out of all your gifts you shall offer every heave offering to the LORD, of all the best of them, the hallowed part of them.’"

Not only out of their tithes, but out of whatever gifts were given by the Israelites to them, and out of the produce of the fields which belonged to them as part of the offerings given to them, in all their offerings, they were to give the best part to the Lord, and that was said to be the hallowed part, the tenth part that was always to be the Lord's, and therefore was holy.

(30) “Therefore you shall say to them, ‘When you have heaved the best of it, then it shall be counted to the Levites as the increase of the threshingfloor, and as the increase of the winepress.'"

The Lord continued to tell Moses what to say to the Levites, perhaps specifically the priests in this case.  When they had heaved the best of their offering to the Lord, that tenth part they were to offer to their Lord, it would be as acceptable to Him as if they had harvested it themselves, and the nine tenths that remained would be considered as much their own and lawfully enjoyed, as the corn of the threshing floor and the wine of the wine press.

(31) "'And you shall eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation.'"

Then they could eat their portion, not as a holy thing, but with the same freedom with which the other Israelites ate their parts, in any place they and their households wished.  That was because it was their reward for their service in the tabernacle, and therefore their own to eat wherever they wished.  Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, went further to say that they could even sell it to purchase other necessities, but I will stick with the words given here that say only that they might eat it anywhere.

(32) "‘And you shall bear no sin because of it, when you have lifted up the best of it; but you shall not pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest you die.'"

They were to have no guilt or blame placed on them because they did enjoy it wherever they wished, as long as they had offered up the best tenth of it, but they were not to treat the holy gifts of the children of Israel in that manner.  They would be polluting holy things if they ate of the gifts given for holy use, and therefore guilty of irreverence and neglect, or considered even blasphemy, and punishable by death.

In chapter 17 the priesthood of Aaron was confirmed by the budding and blossoming of his rod.  Then the people complained of their peril in drawing near to God.  In chapter 18 the Lord addressed their fears by explaining how it was the duty of the priests to draw near to Him for them, and it was the priests' responsibility to bear the iniquity of the sanctuary.  There should be no puffed up pride of the priests nor envy of them, considering the great care and charge upon them.  This is a good lesson to us all that we should never become high-minded and proud, but fear.  The greater the trust of work and power that is committed to us, the greater danger there is of betraying that trust.  Therefore we should not envy others' honors or high places.

The Rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Laws of Sacrifice and Offerings and the Law of the Fringe as a Reminder

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Numbers 15:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (2) “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘When you have come into the land you are to inhabit, which I am giving to you,'"

In chapter 14 of Numbers, the Israelites had been sentenced to wander in the wilderness for forty years and to die there (except Caleb and Joshua) never seeing their promised land.  However, in 14:31, the Lord said He would bring their children into the land, and here He confirmed His promise that they would indeed reach their promised land.  It could be that some years had passed since their sentence was given, as what follows are instructions that would seem to be given to adults rather than children.  However, it is just as likely that the Lord would reiterate His promise and instructions for their conduct to all the Israelites, demonstrating that He was reconciled to them all (even though the elder generation would not see the promised land), and that He would bring to fruition His promise that their children would indeed inherit the promised land.

(3) "'And will make an offering by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering, or a sacrifice to fulfill a vow, or in a freewill offering, or in your solemn feasts, to make a sweet savor to the LORD, from the herd or the flock, (4) Then he who offers his offering to the LORD shall bring a grain offering of a tenth deal of flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of oil.'"

The Lord continued speaking to Moses, giving instructions that he was to pass on to the Israelites when they came into the land of Canaan.  When they offered to the Lord burnt offerings from the cattle or sheep, in the various ways they might offer an offering by fire to please the Lord and be accepted by Him, they were also to bring a tenth part of an ephah of flour, an omer, mixed with a fourth hin of oil.  I've read that the Hebrews didn't maintain a standardized measuring system throughout history, therefore the estimates of how much this actually was vary, and I get a different answer every time I look it up.  One point of view is that it was about as much as a man could eat in one day, perhaps about a quart of flour with about a cup of oil.  However, to illustrate the huge disparity among Biblical scholars, Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, suggested it was about three quarts of flour mixed with about four and a half pints of oil.  The range is so varied, all we can determine from these instructions is the fact they were specific and understood by the people at that time.

(5) "'And a fourth of an hin of wine for a drink offering you shall prepare with the burnt offering or the sacrifice, for each lamb.'"

With the burnt offering of each lamb, they were to offer a fourth of a hin of wine.  A liquid hin of wine seems to be different from a hin of oil, and in this case, I believe the amount of wine to be about three pints.  Dr. Gill would say it was the same as a fourth of a hin of oil, about four and a half pints. 

(6) "‘Or for a ram you shall prepare as a grain offering two tenth deals of flour mixed with a third of a hin of oil. (7) And for a drink offering you shall offer a third of a hin of wine as a sweet savor to the LORD.'"

For a burnt ram offering, the people were to prepare a grain offering with two omers of flour mixed with a third of a hin of wine.  Based on the first conversion used for verse 4 above, this would be about two quarts of flour and about a cup and a third of oil.  They were also to offer a third of a hin of wine which would have been about two quarts of wine.  These they would offer as pleasing and acceptable to the Lord.  Dr. Gill wrote it was "the quantity of six quarts of fine flour, and about three pints and a quarter of a pint of oil."  Once again, with the conversions so varied, the only certain message is that as the quality of the sacrificial animal had increased, so was the amount of accompanying offerings to be increased.

(8) "‘And when you prepare a young bull for a burnt offering, or for a sacrifice to fulfill a vow, or for a peace offering to the LORD, (9) Then shall be offered with the young bull a grain offering of three tenth deals of flour mixed with half a hin of oil. (10) And you shall bring for a drink offering half a hin of wine for an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor to the LORD.'"

If the people brought a young bull for a burnt offering, they were also to bring a grain offering of three omers of flour mixed with half a hin of oil and half a hin of wine to be pleasing and acceptable to the Lord.  Once again, we see a proportional increase of the accompanying offerings relative to the quality of animal sacrifice.

(11) "‘Thus it shall be done for each bullock, for each ram, or for each lamb or kid. (12) According to the number that you prepare, so you shall do with every one according to their number.'"

It was to be done as dictated above for each young bull, each ram, and each lamb or kid goat.  If two animal sacrifices were offered, then the accompanying offerings were to be doubled, with one set as described above per animal sacrifice.

(13) "‘All who are born of the country shall do these things in this manner, in offering an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor to the LORD.'"

All people born of the Israelites were to do as instructed above when offering burnt offerings to be pleasant and acceptable to the Lord.

(14) "‘And if a stranger sojourns with you, or whoever is among you throughout your generations, and would offer an offering made by fire of a sweet savor to the LORD, just as you do, so shall he do.'"

Any non-Jew alien among them throughout their generations who desired to offer a burnt offering to the Lord was also required to do it just as the Israelites were to do.  I believe there are two important messages in this.  First, God invited all people to come and join His people in worship of the one true God.  Secondly, however, if they did, they must conform to the rules the Lord set forth.  I can't help but think of our present-day immigration battle.  Liberals love to throw God's word back at whom they consider to be hypocritical conservatives, that God welcomed all foreigners.  Even now the gift of everlasting life through the blood of Jesus Christ is offered to all people.  However, they seem to conveniently forget the second part, that the foreigners must conform to the rules and requirements of the people they are joining, that is to assimilate.  In our country, we have the freedom of religion, so immigrants are not required to worship as we do, but they should be required to obey the laws and come here legally and seek to assimilate and become Americans.  If only we followed the wisdom of God!

(15) "'One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger who sojourns with you, an ordinance forever throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD. (16) One law and one custom shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.'"

One ordinance or set of rules were to be for both the Israelites and the foreigners who dwelt among them throughout their generations.  While at first glance, this looks like a repetition of what the Lord had already said, it actually is a statement that the stranger was to be treated just as the Israelite, and accepted by the Lord, if he conformed to the laws the Lord set forth for them.

(17) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (18) “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘When you come into the land to which I bring you, (19) Then it shall be that when you eat of the bread of the land, you shall offer up a heave offering to the LORD.'"

The Lord continued speaking to Moses, telling him what to say to the children of Israel.  He was to tell them that when they came into the land to which the Lord was bringing them, the land of Canaan, when they were to eat of the bread of the land, they were first to offer up a heave offering to the Lord, as described in the following verse.

(20) "‘You shall offer up a cake of the first of your dough for an heave offering; as a heave offering of the threshing floor, so shall you heave it.'"

From the first dough of the first grain they harvested, they were to make a cake for a heave offering.  It was to be a heave offering of the corn or grain on the threshing floor when they had gathered in their harvest.  Similar to what had been instructed in Leviticus 23 when they were to bring the first fruits of their harvest to the priest and he waved them before the Lord, so the people were to heave up a cake from the first dough of their harvest.  A wave offering was one that was waved back and forth; a heave offering was one heaved up and then down and up again, etc.  The idea in both cases is that the first belongs to the Lord.  Actually, it all belongs to the Lord, and it is only by His grace, that we have anything, so by offering up the first to Him, the people demonstrated their acknowledgment of God's blessings and their thankfulness for them.

(21) "'Of the first of your dough you shall give to the LORD a heave offering throughout your generations.'"

Not only when they first came into the land of Canaan (v. 18), but continually throughout their generations, they were to offer up their first dough.

(22) "'And if you have erred, and not observed all these commandments which the LORD has spoken to Moses, (23) All that the LORD has commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day the LORD commanded Moses, and henceforward among your generations; (24) Then it shall be, if it is committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering, for a sweet savor to the LORD, with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the ordinance, and one kid of the goats as a sin offering.'"

If the people erred unintentionally through oversight or ignorance, and strayed from what the Lord had commanded through Moses they do, at any time throughout their generations, then the entire congregation, upon the realization it had been omitted, was to offer a young bullock for a burnt offering to be acceptable to the Lord.  They were to bring the required grain and drink offerings along with it (v. 8-10), with the addition of one kid goat as a sin offering.

(25) "'And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them, for it is ignorance; and they shall bring their offering, a sacrifice made by fire to the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for their ignorance.'"

With the offering of the burnt offering and sin offering described above, the priest would make atonement for all the congregation, and their unintentional sin would be forgiven them.  What a perfect illustration of the coming Christ who would atone for the sins of the people with His blood sacrifice, and their sins would be forgiven them.

(26) "'And it shall be forgiven all the congregation of the children of Israel, and the stranger who sojourns among them; seeing all the people were in ignorance.'"

All the people would be forgiven, the children of Israel and the foreigners who dwelt among them, because of the atoning sacrifice offered, since all the people had acted unintentionally.  Again, what a beautiful picture of Jesus Christ this is!  His gift of salvation through His blood sacrifice is offered to all!

(27) "'And if any soul sin through ignorance, then he shall bring a female goat in its first year as a sin offering.'"

If any individual soul, or person, sinned unintentionally through ignorance or a misunderstanding of the commandment above, then he was to bring a yearling female goat as a sin offering. 

(28) "'And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul who sins ignorantly, when he sins by ignorance before the LORD, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him.'"

The priest would then make atonement for the person who had sinned ignorantly.  It should be noted that the original word translated as "ignorance" in the above verses was "shegagah" which means "mistake" or "inadvertent transgression", or "unintentionally", as most translations define it.  However, the word translated as "ignorantly", "shagag", Strong's defines as "stray", "deceived, err, go astray, sin ignorantly".  Perhaps the meaning is essentially the same; obviously to err is to make a mistake, and one would sin unintentionally if he had been deceived or taught by someone who had strayed from the original commandment, but I couldn't help but wonder if one who went astray from what he knew to be correct was included in this group.  Maybe that is not the case, but if it was, I think the sense is that this person is one who did not willfully sin.  I may be letting my New Testament grace view take over here, when in actuality, these people had to adhere to the law.  That's the reason Jesus had to die, to pay for our sins because it was impossible to adhere 100% to the laws.  Therefore I have to believe that going astray in this case must mean by ignorance or deception only, and not what we call backsliding when the person himself knew what to do.

(29) "‘You shall have one law for him who sins unintentionally, both for him who is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger who sojourns among them.'"

This one law that pertained to the individual person who sinned unintentionally, applied to both the Israelite and the foreigner who dwelt with the Israelites alike.

(30) "'But the soul who does anything presumptuously, whether he is born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproaches the LORD, and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.'"

The word translated as "presumptuously" was actually two words, "yad" meaning "hand" and "room" meaning "high".  The person who sinned with a high hand, through pride, exalting himself in a bold and haughty manner, with no regard or fear for his Lord; that person reproached the Lord, that is, blasphemed Him.  The original word "gadaph" was defined by Strong's as "to hack (with words), that is, revile: - blaspheme, reproach."  Brown-Driver-Briggs defined it as "to revile men, blaspheme God."  The person who so blasphemed the Lord, whether he was an Israelite or a stranger who dwelt among the Israelites, was to be cut off from his people, either by the civil magistrate or by the immediate hand of God.  There was no sacrifice that could atone for this willful sin.

(31) "‘Because he has despised the word of the LORD, and has broken His commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.'"

Because the person who sinned presumptuously despised the word of the Lord and willfully broke His commandment, he was to be completely cut off and his iniquity forever upon him, with no atonement to remove it.

(32) And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man who gathered sticks on the Sabbath day.

While the Israelites were in the wilderness, there was a time when they found a man who gathered sticks on the Sabbath day.  I don't think it necessarily happened immediately after God gave these commandments to Moses at this time, but may have been cited here as an illustration.

(33) And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation.

Those who had found that man who was gathering sticks on the Sabbath brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation.

(34) And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.

They put the man in a type of prison or at least under guard until it was decided what should be done to him.  It had already been established in Exodus 31:14 and Exodus 35:2 that whoever did work and defiled the Sabbath would be put to death, but this may have been the first such case and they did not know in what manner he should die.  Dr. John Gill wrote that some believed that it may have been a "matter of doubt whether gathering of sticks was a breach of the sabbath, or at least such a breach of it as required death."

(35) And the LORD said to Moses, "The man shall be surely put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp."

Moses had obviously consulted the Lord about what was to be done with this man, and the Lord made it clear that this was indeed an offense that demanded death.  The congregation was to stone him with stones outside the camp.  I am sure others feel as I did when first reading this that it seems so harsh, and it made me shudder to think I would have to throw stones at a person and kill him!  I can also hear the chants about the Lord commanding us not to kill.  First of all, it has been established in this study that the word "kill" in the commandment actually meant "murder".  A lawful execution is not murder.  I believe the people had to take part to show that they wanted no part of someone who defiled and blasphemed their Lord.  Most importantly, people had to learn that they were sinful and never good enough to approach the pure and holy God of the universe.  All such incidences in the Old Testament proved that man was worthy of death and needed a savior, specifically their Savior Jesus Christ.  Without such lessons, they may never have known their need.

(36) And all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him with stones, and he died, as the LORD commanded Moses.

The congregation did just as the Lord had commanded Moses they do, and they took him outside the camp and stoned him to death.  Once again, this incident may have been inserted here to illustrate what was to be done with a person who sinned presumptuously and despised the word of the Lord.

(37) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (38) “Speak to the children of Israel and tell them to make fringes on the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue cord on the fringe of the borders."

I have read that the outer Jewish garment was ordinarily a rectangular piece of cloth.  The Lord told Moses to tell the people to make fringes, or what actually turned out to be tassels, on the borders of their garments.  The original word "kanaph" that was translated as "borders" more precisely meant the extreme quarters, or corners.  They were to put tassels in the corners of their outer garments with a blue twined thread in each tassel.

(39) "And it shall be to you a fringe that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the LORD and do them, and that you not seek after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you use to play the harlot."

The tassel with the blue cord, blue perhaps considered a heavenly color, was to be looked upon to remind them of the commandments of the Lord that they should do them and not go after the desires of their sinful hearts or the sinful pleasures seen by their eyes.  The reference to playing the harlot in this case meant committing idolatry, committing adultery in that they took what was to be the Lord's alone and gave in to worldly affections.

(40) "That you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy to your God."

Finishing the thought started in verse 39, the tassel with the blue thread was to remind them not to follow the sinful desires of their hearts, but to recall and do all the Lord's commandments, so that they would be holy and sinless in His presence.

(41) “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God; I am the LORD your God.”

God declared He was their one and only true Lord, the One who brought them out of captivity in Egypt to be their Lord.  As their Lord God, He had the sovereign right to enact laws and demand the observance of them.

In the last chapter of Numbers, the Lord had determined to destroy the children of Israel because of their rebellion, but upon Moses's intercession, He did not utterly destroy them, and in His mercy, it appears He took this opportunity to reiterate some of the laws regarding offerings.