Numbers Chapters 19-21

Just an FYI - in Numbers chapter 20, 38 years of time pass by and the author doesn't even mention it or say much happened. This is mainly because those 38 years are filled with wandering and dying as the unfaithful generation passes away.

19:16 - If touching a dead body made somebody unclean and unable to bring sacrifices before God for seven days, that was a pretty big deal. What about the people that tended to the bodies of the dead Israelite soldiers after they fought wars? There had to be people that were willing to become unclean to honor the dead. They were willing to do the dirty work and become unclean before God. Jesus Christ was also willing to do the dirty work for us...he became unclean and took on our sins, separating himself from God the father...so that he could bring us out of death. What kind of "dirty work" is God asking you to do for His kingdom?

20:8/10ff - If you notice in verse 8, God tells Moses to SPEAK to the rock. The miracle God has planned is going to be huge! Earlier in the bible, Moses struck a rock with his staff and water came out, but people could have thought that Moses simply cracked open a aquifer of water within the rock. This time, Moses is supposed to merely speak to the rock and water will flow out...God will be greatly glorified and hopefully the whiny, doubtful people will be shut up! But in verse 10 we see Moses lets his temper get the best of him. He yells angrily at the people, raises, up his staff and strikes the rock twice. He goes against what God told him to do, he set a bad example in front of all the people, and he brings attention to himself instead of God. The way the phrase is written in Hebrew actually says he "raised his hand/staff" which is a reference we talked about in previous chapters that represents rebellion against God. Because of this sin, Moses and Aaron will not be able to enter into the Promised Land. This brings up an interesting point about leadership...there is a huge price to pay when leaders fail - that is one of the aspects of leadership that must be taken into account before anybody willing accepts a position of responsibility. To whom much is given...much is expected.

21:9 - The snakes are bringers of death...Moses makes an image of the snake and raises it up...when the people look at it they are given life. The cross that Jesus was crucified upon was also a bringer of death...Jesus was raised up to die on the cross, and we must look to the cross if we hope to find life.