Month: October 2025

Moses Strikes the Rock, Numbers Chapter 20

In the first month of the year, the whole community of Israel arrived in the wilderness of Zin and camped at Kadesh. While they were there, Miriam died and was buried.

There was no water for the people to drink at that place, so they rebelled against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in the Lord’s presence with our brothers! Why have your brought the congregation of the Lord’s people in this wilderness to die, along with all our livestock? Why did you make us leave Egypt and bring us there to this terrible place? This land has no grain, no figs, no grapes, no pomegranates, and no water to drink!”

Moses and Aaron turned away from the people and went to then entrance of the Tabernacle where they fell face down on the ground. Then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to them , and the Lord said to Moses, “You and Aaron must take the staff and assemble the entire community. As the people watch, speak to the rock over there, and it would pour out its water. You will provide enough water from the rock to satisfy the whole community and their livestock.”

So Moses did what he was told. He took the staff from the place where it was kept before the Lord. Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. “Listen, you rebels! he shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock? Then Moses raised his hand and and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and livestock drank their fill.

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust Me enough to demonstrate My holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!” This place was know as the waters of Meribah (which means “arguing”) because there the people of Israel argued with the Lord, and there He demonstrated His holiness among them. (vv. 1-13, NLT)

The Lord Punishes the Israelites, Exodus Chapter 14

Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “How long must I put up with this wicked community and and its complaints about Me? Yes, I have heard the complaints the Israelites are making against Me. Now tell them this: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say. You will all drop dead in this wilderness! Because you complained against Me, everyone of you who is twenty years or older and was included in the registration will die. You will not enter and occupy the land I swore to give to you. The only exceptions will be Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.'”

“‘You said your children would be carried off as plunder. Well, I will bring them safely into the land, and they will enjoy what you have despised. But a for you, you will drop dead in this wilderness. And you children will be like shepherds, wandering in the wilderness for forty years. In this way, they will pay for your faithlessness, until the last of you lies dead in the wilderness.'” (vv. 26-33, NLT)

The Scouting Report, Exodus, Chapter 13

After exploring the land for forty days, the men returned to Moses, Aaron , and the whole community of Israel at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran. They reported to the whole community what they had seen and showed them the fruit they had taken from the land. This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country-a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak! The Amalekites live in the Negev, and the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan Valley.”

But Caleb tried tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land” he said. “We can certainly conquer it.!”

But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them!. They are stronger than we are!” So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there the descendants of Anak. Next them the we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought too! ” (vv. 25-33. NLT)

The Complaints of Miriam and Aaron, Numbers Chapter 12

While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because he had married a Cushite woman. They said, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t He spoken through us too? But the Lord heard them. (Now Moses was very humble-more humble than any other person on earth.)

So immediately the Lord called to Moses, Aaron and Miriam and said, “Go out to the Tabernacle, all three of you! So the three of them (they were all siblings) went to the Tabernacle. Then the Lord descended in the pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle. “Aaron and Miriam!” he called, and they stepped forward. And no the Lord said to them, “Now listen to what I say:

“If there were prophets among you, I, the Lord, would reveal Myself in visions. I would speak to them in dreams. But not my servant Moses. Of all my house, he is the one I trust. I speak to Him face to face, clearly , and not in riddles! He sees the Lord as He is. So why were not afraid to criticize Moses?”

The Lord was very angry with them, and he departed. As the cloud moved from above the Tabernacle, there stood Miriam, her skin as white as snow as from leprosy. When Aaron saw what had happened to her, he cried out to Moses “Oh, my master! Please don’t punish us for this sin we have so foolishly committed. Don’t let her be like a stillborn baby already decayed at birth.”

So Moses cried out to the Lord, “O God, I beg you, please heal her!”

But the Lord said to Moses, ” If her father had done nothing more than spit in her face, wouldn’t she be defiled for seven days? SO keep her outside the camp for seven days, and after that she may be accepted back.

So Miriam was kept outside the camp for seven days, and the people waited until she was brought back before they traveled again. Then they left Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran. (vv. 1-16, NLT)

The Priestly Blessing, Numbers Chapter 6

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing:

‘May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord smile on you and be gracious with you.
May the Lord sho you His favor and give you His peace.’

Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel, I Myself will bless them.” (vvv. 22-27, NLT)

The Lord’s Glory Fills the Tabernacle, Exodus Chapter 40

Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord fled the Tabernacle. Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.

Now whenever the. cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out on their journey, following it. But if the cloud did not rise, they remained there where they were until it lifted. The cloud of the Lord hovered over the Tabernacle during the day, and as night fire glowed inside the cloud so that the whole family of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys. (vv. 34-38, NLT)