OVERVIEW:
Miriam’s death; Moses strikes the rock twice; Edom refuses to allow Israel passage on their land; Aaron’s death; the judgment of the fiery serpents; the serpent of brass; Israel defeats King Arad, the Amorites, and the Moabites; Balaam is hired to curse the Israelites; the prophecies of Balaam.
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
Chapter 20 marks the end of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness. The death of Aaron, which takes place in this chapter, happened in the fortieth year after the children of Israel came up out of Egypt (see Numbers 3:38), and from this point, Israel either marched or halted, but did not wander.
It is significant that this chapter groups together three significant events:
- Miriam’s death;
- Moses sin (striking the rock twice);
- Aaron’s death.
These three events point to the fact that Aaron, representative of the priesthood, could not successfully lead Israel into the land of promise and rest; nor could Miriam, representative of the prophets; nor could Moses, representative of the law. The way into the “Promised Land” was to be led by Joshua, whom, we will see as we study the book that bears his name, is an incredible type of the Lord Jesus Christ! (Note: “Joshua” is the Hebrew rendering of the name “Jesus”, and is actually translated “Jesus” in Acts 7:45!)
The reason God was so stern with Moses about disobeying His command to speak to the rock is revealed in 1st Corinthians 10:4. That wasn’t just any rock; that Rock was Christ! The Rock had already been smitten once (Exodus 17:5), and God didn’t want it smitten again. Striking it again would imply that Christ’s one sacrifice on the cross wasn’t sufficient to pay for man’s sin. Because of Moses’ defilement of the type, he was not permitted to enter Canaan. Husbands, take note, God does not take kindly when someone spoils the picture of His Son! You, too, are a picture of Christ in your relationship to your wife! (Ephesians 5:22–32) Unless your relationship with your wife is right, it will be just as impossible for you to enter Canaan (the fullness of life in Christ) as it was for Moses!
Chapter 21 presents another incredible picture of Christ. The people had been bitten with the fiery serpents because of two sins:
- They spoke against God; and
- They spoke against Moses.
Because of their sin, they were dying. (Numbers 21:5–6) In like fashion, we are sinners because we have sinned against God, and because we have sinned against our fellow man. (Mark 12:30–31) Because of our sin, we have been bitten by the fiery serpent of sin, and are destined to die. (Romans 6:23a, “the wages of sin is death”.)
God’s remedy in Israel was a serpent of brass that was to be lifted up on a pole among the people, and all who looked to it were delivered from death to life. In John 3:14, Jesus said, “And AS Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him (i.e. looks to Him in faith) should not perish, but have eternal life.”
Note several things comparing the physical salvation provided through the serpent of brass lifted up on the pole, to the spiritual salvation provided through the Lord Jesus Christ, lifted up on the cross:
- Their salvation was BY FAITH. It wasn’t by anything they did, the command was simply to “LOOK and LIVE!”
- It was BY FAITH ALONE. Israel was not saved by looking at the serpent AND keeping the Law…or bringing a sacrifice…or by promising reform. They were saved by faith alone. Likewise, our salvation is not Christ PLUS anything! If anything needs to be ADDED to Christ, it is to say that Christ is not sufficient in Himself to provide our salvation. God forbid!
- There was only ONE REMEDY. We have all heard countless times that, “There are many roads to heaven.” There was only ONE REMEDY in the camp of Israel, and there is only ONE REMEDY today! Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am THE WAY (not “a” way)…no man cometh unto the Father but my me.” Unless a person looks to Christ by faith, the sting of death (1st Corinthians 15:56) is inevitable and eternal.
- Their salvation was IMMEDIATE. Just as there was an immediate miracle when the bitten victim in Israel looked to the serpent of brass, so every sinner bitten by the fiery serpent of sin receives the immediate miracle of eternal life when He looks to Christ by faith.
Chapters 22–24 record the strange story of Balaam and Balak. Balak tried to hire Balaam to curse the children of Israel, but every time he opened his mouth to do so, much to Balaam’s surprise, and Balak’s anger, out came blessing!
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
In the ROCK which Moses struck – Numbers 20:8–11; Exodus 17:6 (Christ, the Rock was struck once through His death on the cross and does not need to be struck again – 1st Corinthians 10:4; Romans 6:10 – “For in that he died, he died unto sin once.”)
In the SERPENT OF BRASS – Numbers 21:8–9 (John 3:14)
In the prophesied STAR and SCEPTER – Numbers 24:17 (Hebrews 1:8 – scepter; Revelation 22:16 – star)