Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

Thirty-eight years had passed. We join the Israelites as they are entering the Wilderness of Sin in the first month of that year. They stopped at Kadesh and that was where Miriam died. There they buried her. That’s it. No mourning period like when they mourned others. This was a leader of the people and they had said nothing. But you’ll notice that in the next verse they’re complaining about water. Rabbis teach that their lack of compassion, their lack of tears, that basic caring for one another that was missing is what caused the drought. Naturally, they blamed Moses.

Did you bring us here to die? came the standard call – and these were the kids of that first generation that came out of Egypt. Moses and Aaron went to the tent of meeting and fell on their faces there. And the glory of the Lord showed up, as it always does. God told them to gather the people, take Aaron, and speak to the rock. What rock? THE rock. They had been to Kadesh forty years previous (Exodus 17). This was the rock he had struck with the rod and water came out. This time he was to take the rod (the rod of God with Aaron’s name on it with its buds and leaves and almonds) with him, but he was to SPEAK to the rock. This speaking to an issue is the same principle Jesus taught (Mark 11:23). God said it would give water. Enough for them and their livestock. Jesus was struck for the people once (crucified), but after that the Way was open and we could ASK and receive (John 14:13). In the Old Covenant sacrifice was needed. In the New Covenant between Jesus and the Father that we enter into, speaking is needed (Romans 10:9). This would be a powerful witness to the full plan of salvation. Moses would have asked for the water the way ask Jesus for living water (John 7:37-39).

Moses went. “and Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly to the presence of the rock, and he said to them, “Please listen, you rebels; can we bring out water for you from this rock?” Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice. And abundant water went out, and the community and their livestock drank” (Numbers 20:10-11). When Moses hit the rock the first time, it probably took Aaron by surprise. Aaron was there when God said speak to the rock. The second time Moses hit it (possibly because nothing happened the first time), Aaron STILL didn’t say anything. Moses sinned by doing. Aaron sinned by not speaking up. In Psalm 106:32-33 it says Moses was provoked into this action. In Deuteronomy 1:37 Moses says that God was angry with him (Moses) because of the people. Very human statements. And very untrue. We can blame others, but the responsibility for what we do is on our own heads. They stood (especially Moses) as representatives of God, presenting God’s words God’s way, to provide types and shadows of Messiah and the salvation He would bring. This is the same ‘my way’ that Moses showed back in Egypt that cost the Israelites thirty extra years of bondage (Exodus 12:40).

The Lord was faithful to His promise and water came forth. But Moses wasn’t going to enter the promised land because of his sin. The sin of not trusting in God which would have sanctified God in the eyes of the people. Moses did not respectfully ask for the water. He did not treat God as holy and worthy of a respectful approach. This was why he could not lead the people in.

They named this place Meribah, which means strife. There were all kinds on display, sadly. This was NOT a highlight of the Israelites walk with the Lord. However, the Israelites broke out in a song of praise when the water came out (Numbers 21:17), which is a better response than their ancestors gave the first time around. Baby steps, right?

The first time around, they were attacked by Edom as they left this place. This time Moses sent messengers asking permission to march past. Their promise was to go straight through the territory of Edom. Not stopping, not feeding, not watering themselves or their animals. Just passing straight through. Edom refused, so Israel turned aside and went around by way of Mount Hor (on the edge of the land of Edom. When they were camped there, God told Moses it was time for Aaron to die. He wasn’t going into the promised land. God says it is because of the rebellion against God’s word at Meribah. It shows you how God looks at things differently. The office of High Priest protected Aaron regarding the golden calf and joining Miriam in slander. But what was held against him was an action AS high priest.

Moses took Aaron and Eleazar up the mountain and in the sight of all the people, stripped the garments off of Aaron and put them on Eleazar. Once the garments of the office of High Priest, he died. When the people saw he was dead, they mourned thirty days. In the New Covenant, we have no reason to grieve because it isn’t like we lose anyone. Not really (1 Thessalonians 4:13). It also shows the people learned the Miriam lesson and mourned their lost leader. Now the Rabbis teach there was a cave up there with a light glowing in it and a place where Aaron could lie down and die in his sleep peacefully. However, I think in light of what happened with Miriam and the penalties of the Law, I lean more toward Aaron just dropping dead instantly and painlessly when the protection of his office came off of him. That isn’t revelation, that’s opinion.

“The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us from Egypt to die in the desert? There is no food and no water, and our hearts detest this miserable food.”” (Numbers 21:5)

Israel starts going along again by the way of Atharim and King Arad the Canaanite (who lived in the Negev) came and fought against them, taking some captive. That was a BAD idea. Israel vowed to the Lord that if He would give them victory, they would utterly destroy them (remember that the Negev was part of the promised land and the original instructions of God was clear the cancer out). God gave it and they destroyed the King of Arad and all the cities of his people. They renamed it Hormah.

After that, they had to finish going around Edom. From Mount Hor they went by the way of the Red Sea around Edom. Long way. They got discouraged. They took their eyes off the Lord. They should have used their tzitzit (Numbers 15:37-41) and remembered what the Lord had for them. But they didn’t. They focused on the negative, gave it their thought time, and got discouraged. Naturally, they rebelled and demanded to know why Moses brought them out to kill them in the wilderness. Oh, and their souls loathed the WORTHLESS manna (Numbers 21:5). The wording is a little different depending on your translation, but in Hebrew the word for loathes means weary of, disgusted, anxious, detesting, and abhorring. It is a STRONG emotional reaction of aversion – repugnant. The Hebrew word for worthless means trivial, insignificant, futile. It highlights the lack of substance in a thing. A strong indictment against something deemed totally unworthy in the eyes of the community, having NO value WHATSOEVER. This was not Truth and not wise.

Since they removed themselves from God’s protection, they entered the devil’s domain. Cause? Negative words and slander. Effect? Poisonous snakes came and bit them. They came to Moses and told him they had sinned against God. Again, unlike their ancestors, they were recognising their wrongdoing and asking for relief. They weren’t using language of repentance though. Still, Moses prayed for them. Interceded for them the way Jesus intercedes for us today (1 Timothy 2:5-6). God said: make a poisonous snake and put it on a pole. Whoever looks at it won’t die. Moses made it out of bronze, put it on a pole, and hoisted it up. This speaks VERY much to Jesus who was raised on wood for us, bearing our poison to cleanse us (1 Peter 2:24).

They left there and went to a bunch of places, moving from place to place. No problems. Not until they get to the Amorite territory. There, Moses sent messages to Sihon, the Amorite king. He asked to pass through, not turning in to field or vineyard or asking for water until they were out of the territory completely. Sihon said no and attacked them. Again, BAD IDEA. Israel totally defeated them. They took the cities and then lived in the cities, including Heshbon the city of Sihon the king. Total defeat. And they lived there. But they didn’t STAY there. First, God said they should spy out the land of Jazur. So they did and drove out the Amorites and took those cities too. And then they went in the direction of Bashan.

Og, the king of Bashan, charged out to attack the Israelites. Didn’t go well. They fought at Edrei and were toasted. Og, his sons, his people, and there was not one survivor. Like a cancer, they were rooted out and destroyed. And they took his land. Then they went out and camped in the plains of Moab, on the other side of the Jordan River across from where Jericho lay.

When we are united together in Jesus and founded on the Word, the devil can do nothing against us (James 4:7). He cannot curse us. So what he does, is try and get us to curse ourselves.

Balak of Moab sees all the Israelites and does not like that. He’s sure they’ll consume everything around them (like they did with Sihon, Og, and Jazur) and then them. So he sends messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, near the Euphrates. Balaam is a VERY well-known spiritual type of man. Exactly what Balaam really is is unclear. But he knew the voice of Yahweh. It seems that VERY dangerous and forbidden mix of the pagan and the holy (Exodus 22:18; Deuteronomy 18:10-12) The representatives of Balak come to Balaam with ‘divination gifts’ and tell him that Balak wants Balaam to come and curse the Israelites so that Balak can defeat them in battle and drive them out of Moab. They know that whoever Balaam curses is cursed. Deuteronomy 27:26 says anyone who doesn’t keep the words of the law to observe them is cursed. 1 John 3:4 says sin is the transgression of the Word. Galatians 3:13 confirms that, because that is the curse Jesus lifted from us and that we are saved from when we abide in Him. Not the commandments (the non-sacrifice ones that Jesus took on Himself), but the curse of the law we were saved from. We’re still to keep the commandments (Matthew 22:36-40).

Balaam tells them to spend the night and he will see what Yahweh says. God comes to Balaam and asks who the men are. Balaam tells the truth. Who they are and what exactly they want. God says do NOT go with them and do NOT curse the people because they are blessed. He is not to go with them physically or mentally (in the Hebrew). Balaam got up the next day and sends them away because God refuses to give him permission. Balak sends more men. More important men and offers more. Balaam says nope. Even if Balak gives me tons of gold and silver, I cannot go beyond what God tells me. Stay here tonight and I’ll check in with my god (interesting change of language). This shows that he really, REALLY wants the money. Because he already had his answer. God doesn’t change. God came again that night and says this: if the men come to call you, rise up and go BUT surely the word I speak to you, that’s what you say. The Hebrew for ‘rise up and go’ is going PHYSICALLY but not MENTALLY. It is intent. It’s physically going to say what God says, but NOT in ANY way align with Balak in order to do what Balak wants.

Come morning, Balaam gets up and saddles his donkey and goes with the men. The Hebrew ‘with’ here denotes companionship, support, and shared purpose. This is NOT simply physical movement, but a going of the physical AND the mental – what God commanded him NOT to do. God’s anger flared and sent an angel to bar Balaam’s way. Because he was NOT doing what God said. He was so spiritually blind, he did not see the angel. The donkey did and turned off the road into a field. It was a regular field representing the feast of Ingathering (Exodus 23 – Sukkot), which was when Israel sacrificed for the seventy nations. Message: if you curse or destroy Israel, ALL the nations will be cursed. Do you really want that? The second time the donkey turned, it was a vineyard which represents Passover (Exodus 12 – four cups of wine representing deliverance, redemption, sanctification, salvation – the four parts of that: I will bring out, I will deliver, I will redeem, and I will take). Message: how will the nations have deliverance without Israel? The third is the straight and narrow path (Shavuot – Exodus 34: represents when Torah is given on Sinai and not to turn to the right or the left – also a shadow of Jesus). Message: how can there be rightness with God without the Word? Balaam misses ALL of them and beats the donkey.

God gives the donkey the ability to speak and the donkey demands to know why Balaam beat him three times (Passover, Sukkot, and Shavuot)? The Hebrew for ‘times’ is better as ‘royal times’ or ‘festivals’. It really drives the message home. Balaam immediately says it’s because you’ve made a fool of me. In the Word, a fool is one who does not observe God’s commandments (Proverbs 18:2). The donkey says he has been with Balaam all his life and had never done this before. Balaam admitted that. Then God shows Balaam the angel and he falls on his face, realising that he would have died without the donkey.

So Balaam went back along. Met the king at the city of Moab. Balaam told him he had come, but had NO power of his own will to say ANYTHING. He would ONLY say what God told him to say, nothing else. Balak took him up to a spot on a hill (Bamoth Baal) overlooking the plateau and the camp of the Israelites. Balak went up to offer sacrifices of cattle and sheep to his gods (Moloch). The pagans always did their worship in high places. In the morning, Balak took Balaam up the hill and from that point Balaam saw the extent of the people of Israel. And now, what to do?

Summary

Key Players: God, Moses, Miriam, Aaron, Balaam, Balak, Donkey

Key Themes: Death, Water, Disobedience, Succession, Salvation, Taking Land, Obedience, Curses and Blessing

Key Verse(s): Numbers 20:1-2, 12-13, 27-29; 21:5, 6, 8; 22:12, 20, 21, 30-31, 35