Numbers 20:2
Now there was no water for the congregation, so they gathered against Moses and Aaron.
Now there was no water
The Hebrew word for "water" is "מַיִם" (mayim), which is a fundamental necessity for life, especially in the arid wilderness where the Israelites found themselves. This phrase sets the stage for a recurring theme in the Israelites' journey: reliance on God for provision. Historically, the scarcity of water in the desert regions of the Sinai Peninsula is well-documented, emphasizing the miraculous nature of God's provision. Spiritually, water often symbolizes the sustenance and life that God provides, pointing to the deeper need for spiritual nourishment.

for the congregation
The term "congregation" refers to the assembly of the Israelites, the people of God. In Hebrew, the word is "עֵדָה" (edah), which can also mean a witness or testimony. This highlights the role of the Israelites as witnesses to God's power and faithfulness. The congregation's experiences and responses serve as a testimony to future generations. Theologically, this underscores the communal aspect of faith, where the community collectively experiences and responds to God's actions.

and they gathered
The Hebrew root for "gathered" is "קהל" (qahal), which implies an assembly or coming together, often for a specific purpose. In this context, the gathering is not just a physical assembly but a collective expression of concern and complaint. This reflects a pattern seen throughout the Israelites' journey, where physical needs often led to spiritual testing. The act of gathering can be seen as a precursor to seeking divine intervention, highlighting the importance of community in addressing challenges.

against Moses and Aaron
Moses and Aaron, as leaders appointed by God, often bore the brunt of the people's frustrations. The preposition "against" indicates opposition or confrontation. This reflects a deeper issue of trust and obedience to God's appointed leadership. Historically, Moses and Aaron were central figures in guiding the Israelites, and their leadership was constantly tested. This phrase serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by those in spiritual leadership and the need for patience and reliance on God amidst opposition. It also points to the human tendency to direct frustration towards visible leaders rather than seeking divine solutions.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moses
The leader of the Israelites, chosen by God to lead His people out of Egypt and through the wilderness. Moses is a central figure in this account, representing God's authority and leadership.

2. Aaron
Moses' brother and the first high priest of Israel. He assists Moses in leading the people and performing priestly duties.

3. The Congregation of Israel
The collective body of the Israelites who are journeying through the wilderness. They often face challenges and express their grievances to Moses and Aaron.

4. The Wilderness
The setting of this event, representing a place of testing and reliance on God. The lack of water is a recurring challenge in the Israelites' journey.

5. Kadesh
The specific location where this event takes place. It is a significant site in the Israelites' wilderness journey, often associated with testing and rebellion.
Teaching Points
Dependence on God
The Israelites' lack of water reminds us of our need to depend on God for our daily needs. In times of scarcity, we are called to trust in His provision rather than grumble.

Leadership Challenges
Moses and Aaron faced significant challenges as leaders. This passage encourages leaders to seek God's guidance and remain steadfast, even when facing opposition.

The Danger of Complaining
The Israelites' complaints against Moses and Aaron serve as a warning against grumbling. Complaining can lead to a hardened heart and a lack of faith in God's promises.

God's Faithfulness
Despite the Israelites' repeated failures, God remains faithful. This passage reassures us of God's unwavering commitment to His people.

Spiritual Thirst
The physical thirst of the Israelites points to a deeper spiritual thirst that only God can satisfy. Believers are encouraged to seek spiritual nourishment through Christ.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the Israelites' reaction to the lack of water reflect our own responses to challenges in life?

2. In what ways can we, like Moses and Aaron, seek God's guidance when facing leadership challenges or opposition?

3. How does the theme of God's provision in the wilderness encourage us in our current circumstances?

4. What are some practical steps we can take to avoid a spirit of complaining and cultivate gratitude instead?

5. How can we apply the lesson of spiritual thirst to our daily walk with Christ, ensuring we are spiritually nourished?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 17:1-7
This passage recounts a similar situation where the Israelites grumbled about the lack of water, and God provided water from a rock. It highlights the recurring theme of God's provision despite the people's complaints.

Psalm 95:8-9
This psalm references the Israelites' testing of God in the wilderness, urging believers not to harden their hearts as the Israelites did.

1 Corinthians 10:4
Paul refers to the spiritual rock that followed the Israelites, identifying it with Christ. This connection emphasizes the spiritual sustenance God provides.
God's Use of Insufficient MeansGeorge Breay, B. A.Numbers 20:2-13
How it Went Ill with MosesF. B. Meyer, B. A.Numbers 20:2-13
Moses At the RockBritish Weekly PulpitNumbers 20:2-13
Moses Striking the RockT. R. Stevenson.Numbers 20:2-13
No WaterPreacher's AnalystNumbers 20:2-13
Sin in the Child of GodDavid Lloyd.Numbers 20:2-13
The Gift of Water At MeribahD. Young Numbers 20:2-13
The Muddy BottomQuiet Thoughts for Quiet HoursNumbers 20:2-13
The Privations of Man and the Resources of GodW. Jones.Numbers 20:2-13
The Scene At MeribahR. D. B. Rawnsley, M. A.Numbers 20:2-13
The Sin of MosesT. Boston, D. D.Numbers 20:2-13
The Sins of Holy Men, and Their PunishmentW. Jones.Numbers 20:2-13
The Smitten RockE. S. Atwood.Numbers 20:2-13
People
Aaron, Egyptians, Eleazar, Israelites, Miriam, Moses
Places
Edom, Egypt, Kadesh-barnea, King's Highway, Meribah, Mount Hor, Zin
Topics
Aaron, Assembled, Assembly, Company, Congregation, Gathered, Opposition, Themselves
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Numbers 20:2

     5072   Aaron, spokesman

Numbers 20:1-4

     7206   community

Numbers 20:1-11

     4278   spring of water

Numbers 20:1-13

     5924   quarrelsomeness

Numbers 20:2-5

     4458   grape
     5928   resentment, against God
     6224   rebellion, against authority

Numbers 20:2-11

     5580   thirst

Numbers 20:2-12

     5714   men

Library
August 17. "Speak Ye unto the Rock" (Num. xx. 8).
"Speak ye unto the Rock" (Num. xx. 8). The Holy Ghost is very sensitive, as love always is. You can conquer a wild beast by blows and chains, but you cannot conquer a woman's heart that way, or win the love of a sensitive nature; that must be wooed by the delicate touches of trust and affection. So the Holy Ghost has to be taken by a faith as delicate and sensitive as the gentle heart with whom it is coming in touch. One thought of unbelief, one expression of impatient distrust or fear, will instantly
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

The Waters of Meribah
'Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there. 2. And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. 3. And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! 4. And why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Kadesh. Rekam, and that Double. Inquiry is Made, Whether the Doubling it in the Maps is Well Done.
The readers of the eastern interpreters will observe, that Kadesh is rendered by all Rekam, or in a sound very near it. In the Chaldee, it is 'Rekam': in the Syriac, 'Rekem': in the Arabic, 'Rakim'... There are two places noted by the name Rekam in the very bounds of the land,--to wit, the southern and eastern: that is, a double Kadesh. I. Of Kadesh, or Rekam, in the south part, there is no doubt. II. Of it, in the eastern part, there is this mention: "From Rekam to the east, and Rekam is as the
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

The Baptist's Inquiry and Jesus' Discourse Suggested Thereby.
(Galilee.) ^A Matt. XI. 2-30; ^C Luke VII. 18-35. ^c 18 And the disciples of John told him of all these things. ^a 2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent by his disciples ^c 19 And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them unto the Lord [John had been cast into prison about December, a.d. 27, and it was now after the Passover, possibly in May or June, a.d. 28. Herod Antipas had cast John into prison because John had reproved him for taking his brother's wife.
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Epistle xxviii. To Augustine, Bishop of the Angli .
To Augustine, Bishop of the Angli [136] . Gregory to Augustine, &c. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will (Luke ii. 14); because a grain of wheat, falling into the earth, has died, that it might not reign in heaven alone; even He by whose death we live, by whose weakness we are made strong, by whose suffering we are rescued from suffering, through whose love we seek in Britain for brethren whom we knew not, by whose gift we find those whom without knowing them we sought.
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Travelling in Palestine --Roads, Inns, Hospitality, Custom-House Officers, Taxation, Publicans
It was the very busiest road in Palestine, on which the publican Levi Matthew sat at the receipt of "custom," when our Lord called him to the fellowship of the Gospel, and he then made that great feast to which he invited his fellow-publicans, that they also might see and hear Him in Whom he had found life and peace (Luke 5:29). For, it was the only truly international road of all those which passed through Palestine; indeed, it formed one of the great highways of the world's commerce. At the time
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Peræa to Bethany. Raising of Lazarus.
^D John XI. 1-46. ^d 1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. [For Bethany and the sisters, see p. 478.] 2 And it was that Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair [John xii. 3 ], whose brother Lazarus was sick. [The anointing had not yet taken place, as John himself shows. For a similar anticipation see Matt. x. 4. There are five prominent Marys in the New Testament: those of Nazareth, Magdala and Bethany; the
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
THE ISRAELITES IN THE LAND OF CANAAN: THE JUDGES--THE PHILISTINES AND THE HEBREW KINGDOM--SAUL, DAVID, SOLOMON, THE DEFECTION OF THE TEN TRIBES--THE XXIst EGYPTIAN DYNASTY--SHESHONQ OR SHISHAK DAMASCUS. The Hebrews in the desert: their families, clans, and tribes--The Amorites and the Hebrews on the left bank of the Jordan--The conquest of Canaan and the native reaction against the Hebrews--The judges, Ehud, Deborah, Jerubbaal or Gideon and the Manassite supremacy; Abimelech, Jephihdh. The Philistines,
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 6

Backsliding.
"I will heal their backsliding; I will love them freely: for Mine anger is turned away."--Hosea xiv. 4. There are two kinds of backsliders. Some have never been converted: they have gone through the form of joining a Christian community and claim to be backsliders; but they never have, if I may use the expression, "slid forward." They may talk of backsliding; but they have never really been born again. They need to be treated differently from real back-sliders--those who have been born of the incorruptible
Dwight L. Moody—The Way to God and How to Find It

Numbers
Like the last part of Exodus, and the whole of Leviticus, the first part of Numbers, i.-x. 28--so called,[1] rather inappropriately, from the census in i., iii., (iv.), xxvi.--is unmistakably priestly in its interests and language. Beginning with a census of the men of war (i.) and the order of the camp (ii.), it devotes specific attention to the Levites, their numbers and duties (iii., iv.). Then follow laws for the exclusion of the unclean, v. 1-4, for determining the manner and amount of restitution
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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