Num 20:2-17 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Num 20:2-13: 20:2-13 In the face of yet another complaint by the people of Israel about a lack of water and food (cp. 11:4-35 ; 21:4-5 ; Exod 15:22-25 ), Moses and Aaron disobeyed the Lord and lost the privilege of entering the Promised Land. 20:2 There was no water: Throughout most of the year, Sinai and the Negev are very hot and dry.

Summary for Num 20:2-13: 20:2-13 ^a In the face of yet another complaint by the people of Israel about a lack of water and food (cp. 11:4-35 ^b; 21:4-5 ^c; Exod 15:22-25 ^d), Moses and Aaron disobeyed the Lord and lost the privilege of entering the Promised Land. 20:2 ^e There was no water: Throughout most of the year, Sinai and the Negev are very hot and dry.
20:3 ^f our brothers! The Israelites identified themselves with Nadab and Abihu (Lev 10:1-5 ^g), the gluttons killed by the first plague (Num 11:33 ^h), the skeptics who had already died in the wilderness (14:29 ⁱ), the ten unfaithful spies (14:36-37 ^j), Korah, Abiram, and Dathan, the 250 prominent men, and the 14,700 who died in the second plague (16:32 ^k, 35 ^l, 49 ^m).
20:6 ⁿ they fell face down on the ground: As in previous conflicts (14:5 ^o, 10 ^p; 16:4 ^q, 19 ^r, 22 ^s), they prostrated themselves and awaited the glorious presence of the Lord to resolve the crisis.
Summary for Num 20:7-9: 20:7-9 ^t God heard Israel’s complaints, regarded them as legitimate, and commanded Moses to solve the problem.
Summary for Num 20:8-9: 20:8-9 ^u The staff was kept before the Ark of the Covenant to prevent the Israelites from complaining (cp. 17:10 ^v); it represented God’s authority in the hands of Moses and Aaron. The instructions that God gives his representatives are very precise and must be followed exactly (cp. Jas 3:1 ^w; see also 2 Tim 2:24-26 ^x).
Summary for Num 20:10-12: 20:10-12 ^y Instead of reverently obeying God’s instructions, Moses rebuked the people (Must we bring you water from this rock?) and angrily struck the rock twice with the staff (20:11 ^z). God regarded Moses’ words and actions as a serious breach of faith; Moses “spoke foolishly” (Ps 106:32-33 ^aa; cp. Jas 1:20 ^ab) and did not trust God enough to demonstrate his holiness. By not doing exactly as he was told, Moses demonstrated a lack of faith in God to provide for his people. This lack of faith is also apparent in Moses’ words to the people. The Lord requires obedience and faith; anything less is an affront to his holy character (Num 20:24 ^ac; 27:14 ^ad). Such serious lack of obedience and faith had the same result as it had earlier (14:20-23 ^ae; see also 1 Cor 10:4-12 ^af).
20:13 ^ag Meribah: As they had at Rephidim (Exod 17:1-7 ^ah), the Israelites coined a name (“Arguing”) that referred more to the incident than to a geographical location.

• God demonstrated his holiness through his judgment on Aaron and Moses’ sin.
Summary for Num 20:14-21: 20:14–21:35 ^ai Here the Israelites began their trek toward the Promised Land. Moving from Kadesh, they left the Sinai Peninsula behind and entered the area east of the Jordan (Transjordan), approaching the Promised Land from the east by a less direct point of entry (see 14:25 ^aj; cp. Deut 2:2-6 ^ak).
Summary for Num 20:14-21: 20:14-21 ^al Israel tried unsuccessfully to establish peaceful relations with Edom, with which it had apparently had no dealings since Esau (Edom) and Jacob (Israel) buried their father, Isaac (Gen 35:29 ^am; 36:6-8 ^an; cp. Gen 32:28 ^ao). Moses’ appeal resembles the formal diplomatic correspondence of that era. While contacts with the Canaanites and other people groups were marked by hostility, communication with Edom was polite because of kinship ties (cp. Deut 2:4 ^ap; 23:7 ^aq). Those ties, however, were apparently not strong enough to overcome the ancient tension between Jacob and Esau (Gen 27:41 ^ar).
20:17 ^as We won’t even drink water from your wells: Edom is very dry; food and water were too scarce to provide for this substantial number of Hebrew immigrants.

• We will stay on the king’s road: The “King’s Highway” (also 21:22 ^at) is well known in the Old Testament, though its exact route is not certain. As its name indicates, this route was maintained for official purposes, including the movement of troops and trade. Along this trail, travelers could find settlements, food, and water between the Red Sea and Damascus. The route remained important into Roman and even modern times. This royal road contrasted with a much less hospitable route farther to the east called the Desert Highway.