Day 42: Numbers 10-12

(The previous post completed the first part of the Book of Numbers: numbering of Israel and preparations for their journey to the Promised Land. It covered the Israelites beginning to use the tabernacle: offerings of dedication of the tabernacle, preparation of the levitical priests, and God's instructions for the operation of the tabernacle.)

Numbers 10
¹ And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
² Make thee two trumpets of silver; of beaten work shalt thou make them: and thou shalt use them for the calling of the congregation, and for the journeying of the camps.

(Two silver trumpets were made, of one piece of silver, for the calling of the congregation.)

³ And when they shall blow them, all the congregation shall gather themselves unto thee at the door of the tent of meeting.
⁴ And if they blow but one, then the princes, the heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee.
⁵ And when ye blow an alarm, the camps that lie on the east side shall take their journey.
⁶ And when ye blow an alarm the second time, the camps that lie on the south side shall take their journey: they shall blow an alarm for their journeys.
⁷ But when the assembly is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm.
⁸ And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets; and they shall be to you for a statute for ever throughout your generations.

(It was the priests' responsibility to blow the trumpets.)

⁹ And when ye go to war in your land against the adversary that oppresseth you, then ye shall sound an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before Jehovah your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies.
¹⁰ Also in the day of your gladness, and in your set feasts, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow the trumpets over your burnt-offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace-offerings; and they shall be to you for a memorial before your God: I am Jehovah your God.

(How they blew the trumpets would be a signal for a number of different commands.)

(Verses 11-28: the march to the Promised Land began.)

¹¹ And it came to pass in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, that the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle of the testimony.
¹² And the children of Israel set forward according to their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud abode in the wilderness of Paran.
¹³ And they first took their journey according to the commandment of Jehovah by Moses.

(This began the second of the three sections of the Book of Numbers. Their first journey brought them from Sinai to Paran.)

¹⁴ And in the first place the standard of the camp of the children of Judah set forward according to their hosts: and over his host was Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
¹⁵ And over the host of the tribe of the children of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar.
¹⁶ And over the host of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon.
¹⁷ And the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who bare the tabernacle, set forward.
¹⁸ And the standard of the camp of Reuben set forward according to their hosts: and over his host was Elizur the son of Shedeur.
¹⁹ And over the host of the tribe of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
²⁰ And over the host of the tribe of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
²¹ And the Kohathites set forward, bearing the sanctuary: and the others did set up the tabernacle against their coming.
²² And the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim set forward according to their hosts: and over his host was Elishama the son of Ammihud.
²³ And over the host of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
²⁴ And over the host of the tribe of the children of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni.
²⁵ And the standard of the camp of the children of Dan, which was the rearward of all the camps, set forward according to their hosts: and over his host was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
²⁶ And over the host of the tribe of the children of Asher was Pagiel the son of Ochran.
²⁷ And over the host of the tribe of the children of Naphtali was Ahira the son of Enan.
²⁸ Thus were the journeyings of the children of Israel according to their hosts; and they set forward.

(The Israelites moved and camped as God had commanded.)

²⁹ And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, We are journeying unto the place of which Jehovah said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good; for Jehovah hath spoken good concerning Israel.
³⁰ And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred.

(The wording can be confusing here. Hobab was the son of Reuel. Reuel was also known as Jethro. Reuel/Jethro was Moses' father-in-law. Hobab was Moses' brother-in-law. Moses asked Hobab to come with him to the Promised Land. Hobab refused.)

³¹ And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou shalt be to us instead of eyes.
³² And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what good soever Jehovah shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee.

(Moses ensured Hobab that good would come to him if he joined the Israelites.)

³³ And they set forward from the mount of Jehovah three days' journey; and the ark of the covenant of Jehovah went before them three days' journey, to seek out a resting-place for them.
³⁴ And the cloud of Jehovah was over them by day, when they set forward from the camp.
³⁵ And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, O Jehovah, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee.

(Moses asked God to scatter His enemies while they journeyed.)

³⁶ And when it rested, he said, Return, O Jehovah, unto the ten thousands of the thousands of Israel.

(When the Ark rested, Moses asked for God to return.)




Numbers 11

(Paul referenced the events of this chapter in 1 Corinthians 10:10.)

¹ And the people were as murmurers, speaking evil in the ears of Jehovah: and when Jehovah heard it, his anger was kindled; and the fire of Jehovah burnt among them, and devoured in the uttermost part of the camp.
² And the people cried unto Moses; and Moses prayed unto Jehovah, and the fire abated.

(The people complained and the fire of the Lord consumed those on the outskirts of the camp. When Moses prayed, the fire was quenched. Remember, God was maturing this reborn Israel so that Israel could make the right decision once they reached the Promised Land. We saw in Exodus 17 that Israel had already reached the "social age" (around five years old) before they formally established the Covenant with God. Israel at this point looked like an eight to nine year old child.)

³ And the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of Jehovah burnt among them.

(Taberah meant "burning.")

⁴ And the mixed multitude that was among them lusted exceedingly: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?
⁵ We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt for nought; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic:
⁶ but now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all save this manna to look upon.

(The people complained about manna and referred to the food they ate in Egypt. They even said their soul was dried away because all they had to eat was manna. It did not take long for the people to complain, which was like a child.)

⁷ And the manna was like coriander seed, and the appearance thereof as the appearance of bdellium.

(Bdellium was the gum of a tree growing in Arabia, India, and Babylonia. The color was off-white or yellowish.)

⁸ The people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in mortars, and boiled it in pots, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.

(The people made different things out of the manna. Probably to make its taste and/or texture change.)

⁹ And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.
¹⁰ And Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, every man at the door of his tent: and the anger of Jehovah was kindled greatly; and Moses was displeased.

(The people weeping caused Moses to be displeased and God to be very angry.)

¹¹ And Moses said unto Jehovah, Wherefore hast thou dealt ill with thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favor in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?
¹² Have I conceived all this people? have I brought them forth, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing-father carrieth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?
¹³ Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.
¹⁴ I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.

(Moses told God that this burden was too heavy for him.)

¹⁵ And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favor in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.
¹⁶ And Jehovah said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with thee.

(God told Moses to gather seventy men.)

¹⁷ And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the Spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.

(God put the same Spirit on those seventy men as He had put on Moses, so they could carry the burden with him.)

¹⁸ And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh; for ye have wept in the ears of Jehovah, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore Jehovah will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.
¹⁹ Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days,
²⁰ but a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you; because that ye have rejected Jehovah who is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?

(God gave them flesh to eat for a month, until it came out of their nostrils and it became loathsome. God gave the child exactly what they asked for and, like a child, they were still not happy. Notice, this was not about the Israelites asking for something more than what God provided them (manna). This was about Israel complaining about leaving Egypt. Again, like a child they took for granted the value they were given from God.)

²¹ And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.
²² Shall flocks and herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?
²³ And Jehovah said unto Moses, Is Jehovah's hand waxed short? now shalt thou see whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.

(Moses wanted to know where all this meat would come from. God basically asked Moses if he had faith.)

²⁴ And Moses went out, and told the people the words of Jehovah: and he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the Tent.
²⁵ And Jehovah came down in the cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, but they did so no more.

(The KJV stated: "...when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.")

²⁶ But there remained two men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the Spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but had not gone out unto the Tent; and they prophesied in the camp.
²⁷ And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.
²⁸ And Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses, one of his chosen men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.

(Joshua was Moses' minister/servant. Joshua wanted the two men in the camp to stop prophesying.)

²⁹ And Moses said unto him, Art thou jealous for my sake? would that all Jehovah's people were prophets, that Jehovah would put his Spirit upon them!

(Moses stated that he wanted everyone to be a prophet and everyone to have God's Spirit upon them.)

³⁰ And Moses gat him into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
³¹ And there went forth a wind from Jehovah, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, about a day's journey on this side, and a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and about two cubits above the face of the earth.
³² And the people rose up all that day, and all the night, and all the next day, and gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.
³³ While the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the anger of Jehovah was kindled against the people, and Jehovah smote the people with a very great plague.
³⁴ And the name of that place was called Kibrothhattaavah, because there they buried the people that lusted.

(Those who lusted were smitten by God. Kibrothhattaavah meant "graves of lust.")

³⁵ From Kibrothhattaavah the people journeyed unto Hazeroth; and they abode at Hazeroth.

(After dealing with conflict within their camp, the Israelites made their next camp at Hazeroth. Israel became slightly more mature (nine to ten years old) with the seventy elders and the prophesying. However, they still needed to grow up more.)




Numbers 12
¹ And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Cushite woman.

(Miriam meant "rebellion." She was the sister of Moses and Aaron. Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of his Cushite (Ethiopian) wife. Now, the conflict was within the leadership of the camp. Israel the "child" was now politically aware and having conflicts related to trying to direct their own actions. Israel looked to be very close to becoming a teenager and able to be responsible for their own decisions.)

² And they said, Hath Jehovah indeed spoken only with Moses? hath he not spoken also with us? And Jehovah heard it.

(Miriam and Aaron were jealous of Moses.)

³ Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men that were upon the face of the earth.

(Moses was very meek (humble). Moses could consider he was wrong.)

⁴ And Jehovah spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tent of meeting. And they three came out.
⁵ And Jehovah came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the door of the Tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forth.
⁶ And he said, Hear now my words: if there be a prophet among you, I Jehovah will make myself known unto him in a vision, I will speak with him in a dream.

(Moses did not address the situation, so God did. If there was a prophet among them, God would make Himself known to him in a vision/dream.)

⁷ My servant Moses is not so; he is faithful in all my house:

(Moses was faithful above all in God's house.)

⁸ with him will I speak mouth to mouth, even manifestly, and not in dark speeches; and the form of Jehovah shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?

(God spoke to Moses plainly, not in dreams and visions.)

⁹ And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against them; and he departed.
¹⁰ And the cloud removed from over the Tent; and, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.

(Miriam became leprous because of speaking against Moses. Miriam committed an emotional/spiritual sin and the physical punishment seemed extreme. Does that mean emotional and spiritual sins are worse than physical sins? What about Aaron? Did Miriam instigate this conflict?)

¹¹ And Aaron said unto Moses, Oh, my lord, lay not, I pray thee, sin upon us, for that we have done foolishly, and for that we have sinned.
¹² Let her not, I pray, be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb.
¹³ And Moses cried unto Jehovah, saying, Heal her, O God, I beseech thee.
¹⁴ And Jehovah said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut up without the camp seven days, and after that she shall be brought in again.
¹⁵ And Miriam was shut up without the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.

(Aaron confessed. Miriam was quarantined for seven days. The people did not travel until she was back.)

¹⁶ And afterward the people journeyed from Hazeroth, and encamped in the wilderness of Paran.

(After dealing with conflict within the leadership, the people encamped in Paran. Israel had become more mature through experience, not understanding. Miriam had to experience judgment and everyone was made aware of it.)

(This post began covering the second section (twelve chapters) of the Book of Numbers: The journey to the Promised Land and the resulting forty year exile. Israel dealt with conflict within Israel, first between leadership and followers, then within leadership. While Israel matured and appeared to be ready to be held accountable for their decisions.)

Day 43