Numbers 19-20

We begin today in Numbers 19, reading about laws for purification. Two main components combined together to bring about a person’s cleansing: the ashes of a fully consumed, spotless red heifer mixed with fresh water. The author of Hebrews acknowledges the symbolism here: “For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:13-14). As David Guzik summarizes, “All this cleansing is a precious picture; but the reality is in Jesus.”[i]

As we enter Numbers 20, we move forward in the narrative almost 40 years, to the end of the Israelites’ time wandering in the wilderness. (For some context, it is safe to assume that most of the generations that God said would die in the wilderness had indeed passed away. Therefore, those younger in years would be the ones of whom we read about in the days ahead.) Before the people of Israel set out on their delayed journey to the Promised Land, we read about the death of Moses’s sister, Miriam. Like so many in Scripture, Miriam’s life was a mixed bag, as she was an appointed prophetess who encouraged the Israelites to praise the LORD (Exodus 15:20-21), but she also rebelled against Moses, as documented in Numbers 12. God certainly uses flawed people to accomplish His purposes, but let us not lose sight of the fact that there is only one Hero of our faith that we should endeavor to emulate—the Lord Jesus. 

On their journey, the Israelites soon realize that “there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. And the people quarreled with Moses and said, ‘Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the LORD! Why have you brought the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle? And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink’” (20:2-5). Doesn’t this sound eerily familiar to how the previous generations of Israelites grumbled against Moses and God in Exodus 17? “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). 

In response to this complaint, God orders Moses and Aaron to “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation…and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water” (20:8; emphasis added). Note Moses’s subsequent actions: “Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, ‘Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?’ And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock” (20:10-11; emphasis added). Let’s break down each of these emphasized portions of this passage further:

·       “You rebels”: Did Moses’s anger lead him to contempt for God’s people? Did Moses somehow forget that he, too, needed God’s grace? If so, he would soon be reminded. 

·       “We”: Subtlety, Moses was claiming that the miracle that was about to occur was a result of the work of man, not of God. Let us never fall into the trap of attributing the good fruit that is produced in our lives to anything or anyone but the true Vine (John 15:5). 

·       “Struck the rock”: God told Moses to speak to the rock; Moses struck the rock. Perhaps Moses was thinking he could use the same method that produced water back in Exodus 17 to create a similar outcome, but the fact remains that he defied God’s command. 

·       “Water came out abundantly”: Despite Moses’s disobedience, God still blessed His people. He’s still doing the same thing today through imperfect vessels. 

God wasted no time identifying the disbelief of Moses and Aaron, telling them that they would no longer be the ones to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land (20:12). Oh, how quickly we can squander our God-appointed responsibilities because of one hasty, impulsive behavior. 

To his credit, Moses continues to lead the Israelites on their way to Canaan, sending along messengers to the king of Edom to request safe passage through their land. You may recall that the Edomites were descendants of Esau, and as evidence that the division between Jacob and Esau’s families still exists, the king of Edom denies this petition. Matthew Henry concludes that “It was owing to the old enmity which Esau bore to Israel. If [the Edomites] had no reason to fear damage by them, yet they were not willing to show so much kindness to them. Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing, and now the hatred revived, when the blessing was ready to be inherited.”[ii]

Numbers 20 closes with the death of Aaron and the appointment of Eleazar, Aaron’s son, as high priest. “The man dies, but the priesthood — and the access and relationship with God it describes — carries on. No one’s relationship with God in Israel was to depend on Aaron, but on the high priest — whomever he was. God has ensured there will always be a high priest for us to come to in Jesus (Hebrews 4:14-16), and we need not depend on any man for our relationship with God.”[iii]

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Journal responses to the following prompts:

·       The rivalry between Jacob and Esau remains today. Have you experienced generational conflicts such as this, and if so, what can you do to break those chains of bondage? 

·       Are you depending on anyone (parent, spouse, church leader) for your relationship with God?

[i] Study Guide for Numbers 19. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved May 13, 2026, from 

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/study-guide/numbers/numbers-19.cfm

[ii] Henry, M. (2014). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible. (Vol. 1). Hendrickson Publishers. p. 465.

[iii] Study Guide for Numbers 20. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved May 13, 2026, from 

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/study-guide/numbers/numbers-20.cfm