Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. They fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. So Moses and AaronMoses and Aaron, the leaders appointed by God, represent the spiritual and administrative heads of Israel. Moses, the prophet and lawgiver, and Aaron, the high priest, together embody the dual roles of leadership and intercession. Their partnership is a testament to the necessity of both guidance and mediation in the spiritual journey of God's people. Historically, Moses and Aaron's leadership is pivotal during the Israelites' wilderness journey, emphasizing the importance of divinely appointed leadership. went from the presence of the assembly
This phrase indicates a physical and symbolic departure from the congregation of Israel. The assembly often represents the collective body of God's people, who are frequently characterized by their complaints and lack of faith. Moses and Aaron's departure signifies a movement towards seeking divine guidance, away from human discontent. In a broader sense, it reflects the need for leaders to seek solitude and divine counsel amidst communal challenges. to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting
The Tent of Meeting, also known as the Tabernacle, is the sacred space where God meets with His people. It is a place of divine revelation and communication. The entrance signifies the threshold between the human and the divine, a place of transition where earthly concerns are brought before God. Archaeologically, the Tabernacle was a portable earthly dwelling place of God, emphasizing His presence among His people during their journey. They fell facedown
This act of falling facedown is a posture of humility, submission, and worship. It is a physical expression of reverence and acknowledgment of God's sovereignty. In the Hebrew context, prostration is a common response to divine presence, indicating total surrender and recognition of God's authority. This act underscores the leaders' dependence on God for guidance and intervention. and the glory of the LORD appeared to them
The "glory of the LORD" refers to the visible manifestation of God's presence, often associated with light, majesty, and power. In Hebrew, the term "glory" (kavod) conveys weightiness and honor. The appearance of God's glory is a divine response to Moses and Aaron's humility and supplication. Scripturally, God's glory is a recurring theme, symbolizing His holiness and the assurance of His presence with His people. This moment reaffirms God's commitment to guide and sustain Israel through their trials. Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesThe leader of the Israelites, chosen by God to lead His people out of Egypt and through the wilderness. Moses is a central figure in the Old Testament, known for his close relationship with God and his role as a mediator between God and the Israelites. 2. AaronThe brother of Moses and the first high priest of Israel. Aaron often assisted Moses in his leadership duties and played a significant role in the religious life of the Israelites. 3. The AssemblyRefers to the congregation of the Israelites who were journeying through the wilderness. At this point in their journey, they were facing a crisis due to a lack of water. 4. The Tent of MeetingA sacred place where Moses and Aaron would go to communicate with God. It was a temporary structure used before the construction of the Tabernacle. 5. The Glory of the LORDA manifestation of God's presence and power. In the Old Testament, the glory of the LORD often appeared in a visible form, such as a cloud or fire, to guide and communicate with His people. Teaching Points Seeking God's Presence in Times of CrisisMoses and Aaron's immediate response to the crisis was to seek God's presence. In our own lives, we should prioritize turning to God in prayer and seeking His guidance when faced with challenges. The Importance of Humility Before GodBy falling facedown, Moses and Aaron demonstrated humility and reverence. We are reminded to approach God with a humble heart, acknowledging His sovereignty and our dependence on Him. God's Faithfulness to Reveal HimselfThe appearance of the glory of the LORD reassures us of God's faithfulness to be present with His people. We can trust that God will reveal Himself to us when we earnestly seek Him. Leadership and IntercessionAs leaders, Moses and Aaron set an example of intercession for the people. In our roles, whether in family, church, or community, we are called to intercede for others and seek God's will on their behalf. The Role of Sacred SpacesThe Tent of Meeting served as a designated place for encountering God. While we may not have a physical tent, we can create sacred spaces in our lives for prayer and communion with God. Bible Study Questions 1. How do Moses and Aaron's actions in Numbers 20:6 serve as a model for how we should respond to crises in our own lives? 2. In what ways can we create "sacred spaces" in our daily routines to seek God's presence, similar to the Tent of Meeting? 3. How does the concept of God's glory appearing in the Old Testament connect to the New Testament understanding of God's presence through the Holy Spirit? 4. What can we learn from Moses and Aaron about the importance of humility and reverence when approaching God in prayer? 5. How can we apply the principle of intercession demonstrated by Moses and Aaron in our roles as leaders or members of our communities? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 33:7-11This passage describes the Tent of Meeting and how Moses would speak with God there, highlighting the special relationship Moses had with God. Leviticus 9:23-24The glory of the LORD appears to all the people, demonstrating God's approval and presence among them, similar to the manifestation in Numbers 20:6. 1 Kings 8:10-11The glory of the LORD fills the temple, showing a continuity of God's presence with His people from the wilderness to the establishment of the temple in Jerusalem. Hebrews 4:16Encourages believers to approach God's throne of grace with confidence, drawing a parallel to Moses and Aaron seeking God's presence in times of need. People Aaron, Egyptians, Eleazar, Israelites, Miriam, MosesPlaces Edom, Egypt, Kadesh-barnea, King's Highway, Meribah, Mount Hor, ZinTopics Aaron, Appeared, Assembly, Congregation, Door, Doorway, Entrance, Facedown, Faces, Fall, Falling, Fell, Glory, Honour, Meeting, Opening, Presence, Tabernacle, TentDictionary of Bible Themes Numbers 20:6 1193 glory, revelation of
5174 prostration
5767 attitudes, in prayer
8620 prayer, practicalities Numbers 20:1-11 4278 spring of water Numbers 20:1-13 5924 quarrelsomeness 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 Links Numbers 20:6 NIVNumbers 20:6 NLTNumbers 20:6 ESVNumbers 20:6 NASBNumbers 20:6 KJV
Numbers 20:6 Commentaries
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