Numbers 20 Summary: A Concise Overview in 5 Minutes

Numbers 20 Summary - A Quick Overview

WHEN:

• These events occurred at the tail end of the Israelites’ 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.

• The Israelites were in the wilderness from approximately 1490-1450 B.C.

CHARACTERS:

• Moses – Moses was selected by God to lead the Israelites to the land of Canaan.

• Aaron – Moses’ brother and the High Priest of Israel.

• Miriam – The sister of Moses and Aaron.

• Israelites (Hebrews) – The descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They had grown into a large nation in only a few centuries.

• King of Edom – He refused to let the Israelites travel through his land. His people were relatives of the Israelites. The Edomites descended from Esau, the brother of Jacob.

• Eleazar – Aaron’s son who served under him as a priest in the Tabernacle.

WHERE:

• The Israelites were camped in the wilderness of Zin at Kadesh (20:1):

• Later, the Israelites went from Kadesh to Mount Hor which was on the border of Edom (20:22).

OUTLINE:

• THE DEATH OF MIRIAM AND WATER OF MERIBAH (20:1-13):

  • Miriam died while the Israelites were camped in the wilderness of Zin.

  • The people grumbled against Moses and Aaron because the place they camped, Kadesh, didn’t have sufficient water and it wasn’t capable of growing grain or fruit.

  • Aaron and Moses went to God at the Tabernacle and He told Moses to speak to a specific rock and it would produce water for the people.

  • The two brothers gathered the people together and said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?”

  • Moses hit the rock with his staff twice and water gushed out.

  • But God was displeased with Moses and Aaron’s attitude and told them, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”

  • The place became known as Meribah, because the people quarreled with God and God showed Himself to be holy.

• THE EDOMITES DENY ISRAEL’S REQUEST TO TRAVEL THROUGH THEIR LAND (20:14-21):

  • Moses sent messengers to the king of Edom requesting permission to travel through his land.

  • He promised the Israelites wouldn’t disturb Edom’s vineyards or fields and even offered to pay for the water they would drink.

  • The king of Edom refused and brought a large army to the border of his land to keep Israel out.

• THE DEATH OF AARON (20:22-29):

  • When Israel came to Mount Hor, God told Aaron it was time for him to be “gathered to his people.”

  • The Lord instructed Moses, Aaron, and Eleazar to ascend Mount Hor and Aaron was to give his priestly garments to his son.

  • The 3 men followed these instructions and, after the role of High Priest past to Eleazar, Aaron died on the top of the mountain.

  • The camp of Israel mourned Aaron for 30 days.

APPLICATION:

• In the New Testament, specifically in the book of Hebrews, Jesus is described as a better high priest than any who came before Him because He never dies.

• Heb 7:22-24 This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 

• Aaron helped the people make atonement for their sins in the Tabernacle, but eventually he died and had to be replaced. The same was true for his son, Eleazar.

• One thing we find out if we study Jewish history is that this priestly succession was eventually corrupted. The position of High Priest in the 1st Century A.D. was obtained through bribery and political alliances.

• It’s a great thing that Jesus is now our High Priest, because He will never die so He never needs replaced, and He cannot be corrupted like the sin prone men who used to fill the position.

• Additionally, Jesus offered the final sacrifice for sin that doesn’t need repeating (His atoning sacrifice on the cross).

DIAGRAM OF THE CAMP OF ISRAEL:

DIAGRAM OF THE TABERNACLE: