I. Since the sin of Adam and Eve, death is a normal part of life. The events of the previous chapter prove the point. In Numbers 19 God decrees a water of separation to cleanse those who have been defiled by the dead (chapter 19).
- A red heifer is to be slain by Eleazar outside the camp and its blood sprinkled before the Tabernacle (1-4).
- The remains are to be burned, with cedar, scarlet and hyssop added to the fire (5-6).
- The priest and the one who burns the animal both become unclean (7-8).
- The ashes are saved for the water of purification (9-13).
- Concerning the dead and the immediate environment of their death (14-19).
- Failure to apply these rules results in mandatory cutting off from the congregation (20)
- This to be a perpetual obligation (21-22).
II. When good people do bad things (chapter 20).
- Miriam dies
- The people complain of thirst
- Moses and Aaron intercede
- God announces His intention to provide
- Moses and Aaron complain to the people and fail to follow God’s instructions
- Water flows for the people in spite of the sin of Moses and Aaron
- God announces that neither of them will enter the promised land
- Aaron dies
Meditation Points:
- Although death is normal, and in our fallen state even natural, this was not the case before Adam’s sin. The water of separation/purification was to be a perpetual reminder of the effects of sin.
- God’s work must be done in God’s way.
- The leaders of God’s people are not exempt from God’s rules.
- If the people were forbidden from entering the promised land because they did not trust God, then their leaders must be kept out also for the same reason.
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