Author: cackywalker@yahoo.com

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

Next Bezalel made the Ark of acacia wood-a sacred chest 45 inches long, 27 inches wide and 27 inches high. He overlaid the inside and outside with pure gold, and he ran a molding of gold all around it. He cast four gold rings and attached them to its four feet, two rings on each side. Then he made poles from acacia wood and overlaid them withe gold. He inserted the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it.

Then he made the Ark’s cover-the place of atonement-from pure gold. It was 45 inches long and 27 inches wide. He made two cherubim from hammered gold and placed them on the two ends of the atonement cover. He molded the cherubim on each end of the atonement cover, making it all one piece of gold. The cherubim faced each other and looked down on the atonement cover. With their wings spread above it, the protected it. (vv. 1-9, NLT)

Then Moses called together the whole community and told them, “These are the instructions the Lord has commanded you to follow. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the Lord. Anyone who works on that day must be put to death. You must not even light a fire in any of your ones on the Sabbath.” (vv. 1-3, NLT)

Moses immediately threw himself to the ground and worshiped. And he said, “O Lord, if it is true thatI have found favor with You, then please travel with us. Yes, this is a stubborn and rebellious people, but please forgive our iniquity and our sins. Claim us as Your own special possession.”

The Lord replied, “Listen, I am making a covenant with you in the presence of all your people. I will perform miracles that have never been performed anywhere in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people around you will see the power of the Lord-the awesome power I will display for you. But listen carefully to everything I command you today. Then I will go ahead of you and drive out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

Be very careful never to make a treaty with the people who live in the land where you are going. If you do, you will follow their evil ways and be trapped. Instead, yiou must break down their pagan altars, and cut down their Asherah poles. You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a Goe who is jealous about His relationship with you..” (vv. 8-14, NLT)

Then the Lord told Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones. I will write on them the same words that were on the tablets you smashed. Be ready in the morning to climb up Mount Sinai and present yourself tome on the top of the mountain. No one else may come with you. In face no one is to appear anywhere on the mountain. Do not even let the flocks or heard graze near the mountain.”

So Moses chiseled out two tablets of stones like the first ones. Early in the morning, he climbed Mount Sinai as the Lord had commanded him, and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands.

Then the Lord came down in a cloud and stood there with him: and He called out is own name, Yahweh. The lord passed in front of Moses calling out,

“Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren: the entire family is affected-even the children in the third and fourth generations.” (vv. 1-7, NLT)