This is a test to see who is reading and what you are able to learn by yourself… What could chapter 19 be alluding to from the church's practices? Also, what do you see as similar in chapters 19 and 20?
Chapter 20 is fateful. Again the people are complaining, only this time it is the lack of water that is making them whine. So, Moses asks the Lord what to do, and God responds by telling Moses to speak to the rock and water will flow out. Now, Moses has already hit a rock with his staff and made water flow. So this instruction is different than before. However, Moses does not listen to the instructions and hits this rock twice – showing that it wasn't going to work the same way as before. Therefore he and Aaron will not enter the land they are leading the people to. Now truly only Joshua and Caleb will be the old folks as they approach the Promised Land. Edom also (the descendants of Esau aka Edom) treat Israel like dirt and do not let them pass. This sore relationship will continue all the way into the book of Obadiah. Then Aaron dies, and the passage in the desert continues to take its toll on everyone. Imagine knowing that everyone around you 20 and older is going to die over the next 40 years. How depressing! How unbelievably sad.
Chapter 21 starts with an amazing victory, continues with a sad story about snakes, shows the journey of Israel to the land of Moab (which is the wrong side of the Jordan River if you are getting to the Promised Land), and ends with victories over Sihon and Og.
No comments:
Post a Comment