Nu 22 part 1: the story of Balaam

      There is a lot going on in just three chapters, so I decided to break the first into sections. I recommend you read the account in one sitting. Below is Numbers 22.

1. The setting: King Balak and Moab fear Israel.

22:1 And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho.

 2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.

 4 And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.

2. The plot: to get Balaam to curse Israel.

5 He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me: 6 Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.

 7 And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.

3. The response: Balaam listens to Balak’s men and then to God.

7 And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.

 8 And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam.

 9 And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee?

 10 And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, 11 Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out.

 12 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.

 13 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with you.

4. The negotiation: Balak persuades Balaam.

14 And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us.

 15 And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they. 16 And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me: 17 For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.

 18 And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more. 19 Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more.

 20 And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.

 21 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.

5. The reality check: the donkey speaks.

22 And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. 23 And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.

 24 But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. 25 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again.

 26 And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.

 28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?

 29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.

 30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.

6. The encounter: the LORD speaks.

31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.

 32 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:

 33 And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.

 34 And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.

 35 And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

7.  The expectation: Balaam and Balak meet.

36 And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him unto a city of Moab, which is in the border of Arnon, which is in the utmost coast. 37 And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to promote thee to honour?

 38 And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.

 39 And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kirjathhuzoth. 40 And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him. 41 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people.

       Next time, I’ll start digging into the chapter.

Nu 21 part 3: Nehushtan

Part 3

       Numbers 21 presents yet again a familiar scenario.

In response to the people’s accusations against God, verse 6 says the LORD sent [xlv shalach] fiery [Prs saraph] serpents [vxn nachash] among the people, they bit [Kvn nashak] the people and much [br rab] of the people of Israel died [twm muwth].

       In response, the people again go to Moses, who goes to the LORD.

8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh [har ra'ah] upon it, shall live.

 9 And Moses made a serpent [vxn nachash] of brass [tvxn n@chosheth], and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld [jbn nabat] the serpent of brass, he lived.

       If you wonder, as did I, about the serpent on the pole and any relation to the caduceus, it would appear that the caduceus is a later figure, of two snakes and wings. It was Hermes’ staff and came to symbolize wealth and commerce. The other snake-on-a-stick is the rod of Asclepias, which had only one snake. Asclepius was a god associated with healing and medicinal arts. Did one culture borrow from another? Perhaps. [I, of course, think it was original with God and Moses.]

       In any case, the LORD instructed Moses to make the symbol. The words for “serpent” and “brass” might be a pun or perhaps a memory aid. It might, however, just be what it is and the words happened to go together that way. (Exegetically, we can ask the questions but don’t necessarily conclude with answers. For Judeo-Christian theology, it is a point for speculation but not one for doctrine.)

       Verse 9 says that when any man (which can be translated “whoever”) was bitten, he lived when he nabat-ed  the serpent of brass.

       In verse 8, ra’ah means to see, look at, perceive, inspect, consider. In verse 9, nabat means to look, regard, pay attention to, consider. To me, it doesn’t seem that a passing glance will bring the healing. The snakebite victim was to process the image, perhaps think about why the snakes bit in the first place.

       The brasen serpent wasn’t a magic stick. I believe the healing came in the considering, in the repentance.

       The bible doesn’t say whether bites from the fiery serpents continued to be a problem. We do know that the snake-on-a-stick lasted for generations. What happened to it?

       By the time of Hezekiah, the children of Israel were burning incense to it. During Hezekiah’s reforms, he broke it up and called it Nehushtan. My paraphrase of the meaning of the word is “That brass thing.” The brass thing had become a subject of worship to them, so King Hezekiah destroyed it.

       II Kings 18:4 He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.

       In John 3, Jesus refers to the Moses and the brass serpent when Nicodemus visited him:

       John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Nu 21 part 2 with help from Michael Card

Nu 21:4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

 5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

 6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

 7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

 8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

 9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

         Below is a link to a YouTube interpretation of Michael Card’s thought-provoking song. (I don’t know who put the pictures to the music, it’s just a YouTube user name, so I can’t give credit to the person. I’m sorry.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5E8CmqGVVI

         In verse 5, the people speak against God, [Myhla 'elohiym]. Through most of Numbers, it is Moses (and Aaron) against whom they speak. As far as I can tell, this is the first time they bring God into it. This name for God, ‘elohim, is “plural intensive, with singular meaning” according to the Online Bible definition of Strong’s #0430.

       Also through most of Numbers, it is the LORD, [hwhy Y@hovah] that speaks and deals with Moses, Aaron and the Israelites.

       Of note, there is a phrase often used in Numbers and elsewhere, “would to God that....” That particular phrase comes from [awl luw'], a conditional participle. It means, “Oh that...!” or “If only...!” It doesn’t actually use a name of God in the phrase, but it seems a fitting translation in Numbers 14:2 and 20:3.

Nu 14:2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!

Nu 20:3 And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD!

       By using ‘elohim in verse 5, it seems to indicate they still lack understanding of the God who delivered them and called them to Himself. True, ‘elohim describes some of the qualities of God’s actions and abilities, but it isn’t until after the snakes do they call Him the LORD [hwhy Y@hovah].

       With each chapter in Numbers, do you keep hoping this will be the last time the Israelites do something, well, stupid? I keep hoping so, even though I know it isn’t. I’m not being judgmental; I long to see God’s people “get it,” whether it was thousands of years ago or today.

Nu 21 part 1: Destruction, the Soul and Snakes

Numbers 21:1 And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners. 2 And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.

3 And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah.

       King Arad [from an unused root meaning to sequester, or a wild ass] fights Israel and takes prisoners. Israel’s word to “utterly destroy,” charam, is used 52 times in the Bible. It means to destroy completely, dedicate for destruction, consecrate, etc. Think of it as ruining something and preventing anyone from using it again, thus presenting it as a sacrifice to God. There are several other Hebrew words for “destroy.” Charam, however, has this rather specific intent. They charam-ed cities and people groups.

       The LORD responds to Israel and Israel does as they promised. The name Hormah comes from [hmrx Chormah], “devotion.”

       Remember Numbers 14, when the Amalekites and Canaanites soundly whupped the Israelites? They beat them all the way to Hormah. There may be more than one “Hormah,” but for the sake of argument, it is possible that King Arad either knew the story, or was there when it happened. Possibly the same Hormah was rebuilt, later to be destroyed again.

4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

       The Online Bible says there were two Hors. This Hor is the one upon which Aaron died; it is situated on the eastern side of the valley of Arabah, the highest of the whole range of sandstone mountains in Edom.

       The nephesh of the people was [ruq qatsar]-ed. Nephesh occurs 753 times in the Bible. Nephesh, usually translated “soul,” is distinctly different from [xwr ruwach], the word used for “spirit.” If you wish to delve into theology, the difference between nephesh and ruwach might be a nicely cerebral place to start.

       The collective Israelite nephesh was much discouraged because of the [Krd derek]. Perhaps the mountain range was difficult; perhaps they were tired of all that sandstone. From this passage, we can’t infer that the discouragement itself was sin. (I believe it can be argued either way.) What we do know is in verse 7, the people conclude they have sinned in speaking against the LORD and against Moses.

       What made them conclude they had sinned?

       Snakes.

Nu 20 part 4: we bid Aaron goodbye

       Numbers 20:14-22 is self-explanatory. The ancestor of Edom was Esau, Jacob’s brother. Therefore, when Israel (the descendents of Jacob) call Edom brothers, they are appealing to common ancestry. This passage doesn’t say why Edom refuses passage to the Israelites, even though Israel says they will only go on the highways and will pay for any incidentals. Edom comes out in a show of military strength, forcing Israel to take the long way around Edom.

       I note that there is no mention of the pillar of cloud during this interval. Was the pillar tarrying with the Israelite camp while the messengers spoke with Edom? I assume so, but I don’t know.

       In verses 23-26, the LORD commands Moses and Aaron to bring Aaron’s son Eleazar to Mount Hor, to pass the priesthood to Eleazar, for Aaron will die. He is to die because of their sin at the waters of Meribah.

       In the sight of the congregation, Moses, Aaron and Eleazar go. On the mountain, Moses strips Aaron of the priestly garments and puts them on Eleazar. Then Aaron dies.

       I don’t know what happened to Aaron’s body. Because Moses and Eleazar are Levites and Eleazar is now high priest, he can’t touch his father’s body. Verse 28 says that Moses and Eleazar come down from the mount. Already these men have experienced the loss of family members; already they have had to follow Levitical law through and in spite of grieving.

       When the congregation sees Aaron is dead, they mourn him for 30 days. Aaron: father, brother, spokesperson, high priest. He served and walked with the living God.

       Looking at Aaron's life, I note one certain lasting quality in Aaron: he raised his son Eleazar in the things of God. Eleazar performs his duties well. Eleazar then raises a son, Phinehas, who is a man of quality himself. (Don’t confuse this Phinehas with the priest Eli’s son Phinehas, who was not of this quality.) The good Phinehas will show up in crucial times for Israel. Watch for him to show up in Numbers 25.

Nu 20 part 3: authority

       Twice water comes from a rock. Twice a rod was involved. The areas are both called “Meribah,” but they are in two different geographic locations.

       The first event is in Exodus 17.

       Ex 17:1 And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD? 3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

 4 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.

 5 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

 7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?

       The second event is in Numbers 20.

7 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

 8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.

 9 And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.

 10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? 11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

 12 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

 13 This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.

       In Exodus 17, the first rod is the rod used in the miracles of the Israelites’ exodus. In Numbers 20, the second rod is Aaron’s rod that budded.

       To review the account of Aaron’s rod in Numbers 17, you can go to:

http://miriamsmindset.blogspot.com/2012/04/normal.html

     The chart below compares the two Meribahs.

	Exodus	Numbers
Who goes to the rock?	·      Moses and the elders of Israel ·      the LORD	Moses and Aaron
What do they bring?	Moses’ rod	Aaron’s rod
What does the LORD do?	·      Stand on the rock ·      Stand before them	By inference, He sends His authority (Aaron’s rod)
Instruction	Smite the rock	Speak to the rock
What did they do?	Moses struck the rock in the sight of the elders	·      Moses addressed the people as rebels ·      Moses struck the rock twice
Result	It doesn’t actually say so, but by inference, water came	·      Water came out abundantly ·      The people drank ·      The beasts drank
What happens next?	Amalek fights with Israel	·      Aaron and Moses may not enter the promised land ·      Edom won’t let Israel through

       Contrasting the two Meribahs helps illustrate the principle of biblical authority. In the first Meribah, the LORD stands on the rock before Moses and the elders. Moses brings the rod that represents the miracles. In the second Meribah, Moses and Aaron gather all the people before the rock. Moses brings Aaron’s rod, which represents Aaron’s authority as a priest of the LORD.

       One can get entangled in why the LORD goes with Moses in the first case. Was His presence required to make the miracle happen? Looking at 17:4, when Moses cries out to the LORD, he appears to fear for his life. I propose the LORD stands there to support Moses and to protect him. Even the instruction to strike the rock may have helped Moses illustrate to the leaders that Moses was no wuss.

       But in the second Meribah, Moses and Aaron were to gather the congregation, bring Aaron’s rod and speak to the rock.

       In Numbers 20, Moses has just lost his sister and the congregation is at it again: full of complaints and in no condition to hear the voice of reason. To top it off, what does the LORD say? His instruction is for Aaron and Moses to take the rod, gather the people and speak to the rock. Speak?

       Unfortunately, Moses and Aaron didn’t believe the LORD. In 20:20 hindsight, and with the help of other scripture, we are given what Moses should have already known.

       Moses knew worldly authority: he was adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter.

       Heb 11:24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;

       He knew God’s ways.

       Ps 103:7 He made known [edy yada`] his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.           

       In the New Testament, there is one person who understands authority, true authority, so much so that he actually astounded Jesus. His story is in Matthew 8 and Luke 7.

       Matthew 8: 5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.

 7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.

 8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

 10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled [yaumazw thaumazo], and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith [pistiv pistis], no, not in Israel.

       Luke 7: 2 And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die. 3 And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant.

 4 And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: 5 For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.

 6 Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: 7 Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. 8 For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

 9 When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled [yaumazw thaumazo] at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith [pistiv pistis], no, not in Israel.

       I used to be a Doctor Who fan. I really don’t recommend it because of the creepiness, violence and the agenda it was pushing. (I found I slept much better once I stopped watching it and got those images out of my head, too!) But there is one episode that stayed with me for a very long time. In “The Forest of the Dead,” the shadow monsters are about to destroy everything. They challenge the Doctor. He says, “I’m the doctor, and you’re in the biggest library in the universe. Look me up.”

       The shadow monsters shrivel away.

       One of those writers really yada’-ed the concept of authority. The Doctor didn’t shout. He didn’t need to. He knew who he was and the shadow monsters knew who he was. On a word, the shadow monsters themselves retreated in fear.

       In Star Trek: the Next Generation, Jean-Luc Picard simply would say, “Make it so.”

       Are you getting this? Obviously these examples are extrabiblical, but are you getting this? One more: here is a clip of Yul Brynner as Pharaoh. He is accustomed to such authority: “So let it be written, so let it be done.”

       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bQnxlHZsjY

       The centurion said, “For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.”

       Numbers 20:12 links authority with faith, as do Matthew 8 and Luke 7. I am not saying to go around ordering demons (Acts 19 clearly warns us about that). I am saying that when you yada’ God’s ways and 'aman that God is directing you, you have the Creator of the universe, the King of all kings behind you. That’s authority.