Numbers 20

Numbers 20:1-29

Numbers 20:1-297. The Seventh Murmuring-On Account of the Lack of Water (Numbers 20:1-29) This murmuring ought to have been prevented had the people remembered how God had before supplied a similar lack (Exodus 15:22-25). Here we have recorded the story of the rod and the rock, and the sin of Moses in connection therewith. In what did the sin of Moses consist? In Numbers 20:8 Moses was commanded to take the rod and speak to the rock, and it should give forth water. Numbers 20:9 says that Moses took the rod as God had commanded him. Numbers 20:10 shows that Moses apparently lost his temper, and, contrary to what we know of the meekness of Moses, rather glorified himself than God when he said, “ Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?” In Numbers 20:11 we are told that Moses smote the rock twice.

It is also stated that he took his rod; whereas Numbers 20:8-9 seem to indicate that Aaron’ s rod was the one God commanded to be used. In the whole matter Moses failed to glorify and sanctify God by precise obedience to His command (Numbers 27:14; Deuteronomy 1:37; Deuteronomy 3:26; Deuteronomy 32:51). Of course, there is a sense in which the smitten rock was a type of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4) who was once offered for the sins of the world (Hebrews 9:25-28). To smite the rock twice was out of harmony with that which the rock typified. The death of Aaron is recorded in this chapter. In harmony with what we have said with reference to the smiting of Miriam with leprosy but with no such visitation upon Aaron (cf. Numbers 12:10-11), the manner of Aaron’ s death seems to show the divine respect for the office of the priesthood. The last vision of Aaron, the high priest, that the people gather is that of Aaron fully arrayed in his high-priestly robes. Thus God regarded the office, though He punished the sin. Aaron practically, although not literally, died in full priestly regalia. The high-priestly garments were taken off Aaron and placed on his son Eleazar, and so Aaron died there in the mount (Numbers 20:22-29).