Numbers 19 – 21
Verse 19:13 is an example how God guided the Israelites not with laws that people must obey not to sin:
Whoever touches a dead person, the body of anyone who has died, and does not cleanse himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD, and that person shall be cut off from Israel; because the water for impurity was not thrown on him, he shall be unclean. His uncleanness is still on him.
Often we read the law as a bunch of legal regulations that are there to make it impossible to obey. In reality chapter is not full of what God would consider sin, but rather who God has laid out to protect his nation. Much of the Law is just that, a guide to ensure the people of Israel are healthy and protected from disease and famine. God lays out proper farming techniques, eating habits, cleanliness and dealing with dead bodies, not to ensure we stumble and sin, but to protect His people.
In the middle ages the Jews were accused of poisoning the wells because of the “Black Death” which spread across Europe. This accusation was a “logical” explanation since the bubonic plague was not rampant in their community. What people didn’t realize is their health, eating and cleaning “rituals” protected them from the spread of diseases.
Look at Nazi Germany, one of the major ways the Jews were persecuted was because of their success during a depression. It wasn’t because they were taking advantage of the people, they just were not extended in debt and had saved. They did not look at the 10/10/80 life as a great concept, but as a way to honor God. (10/10/80 is 10% tithe, 10% save and live on 80%) When the economy came crashing down, unlike everyone else the Jewish community had savings. Go back to Joseph and how he taught this to the Egyptians when he was exiled by his brothers. He taught them to save and ended up giving the Jews an example of why, since their storehouses saved the Israelites.
Verse 20:1 is one of those odd verses:
And the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. And Miriam died there and was buried there.
You have chapter 19 detail out how to handle the dead and then this verse. Right after this Moses goes into the story on the Waters of Meribah. It’s not that this is wrong, but there are little details or explanations on why. For those who have spent time talking with me you notice I do this often, where from out of left field I make a comments that makes no sense to anyone but myself. I wonder if this was one of those moments with Moses, where it happened and he wrote about it with no real explanation on why it’s here.
Verse 20:12 was a result of Moses striking the rock and not doing what God had commanded him to do:
And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “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.”
This is one of those stories I question since God shows little grace to Moses not allowing him to pass to the Promised Land. I read this and often wonder if there is anything we Christians can do to miss out on heaven. Think about it, Moses just did what worked before and it cost him. How many times do we ignore or purposefully turn our backs on God for fun, personal glory or whatever suits the moment? I catch myself doing this almost daily. So is God going to revoke my pass into heaven because I continue to mess up?
I am just dealing with myself on most of these issues, Moses on the other hand had a nation whining at him and I am sure he struck the rock out of frustration and not purposeful disobedience. I know what is taught but I often go deeper into or example 1 John 2 and 3 since the verses there imply we can reject our salvation. Now many interpretations from the “once saved always saved” group imply this means they were never really saved in the first place. I believe someone who was at one time “on fire” for God could reject His grace and lose a place in heaven, but that’s just my interpretation. So maybe God IS still a firm on some aspects to salvation.