Pride Before a Fall. (Numbers 20:1-29)
Full Transcript
One of the most important yet often forgotten spiritual lessons in the Bible is this:
“Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”
(1 Cor 10: 12 NKJV)
This statement appears in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, but it’s also is given in a passage where it is illustrated something for us and Paul quotes this story in Numbers chapter 20 to make his point.
So this tells me the lesson we are meant to learn today is an important one because it applies to both ancient times, New Testament times, and also in our lives today.
Some people fall into the trap of thinking, “I’ve been through this trial before,” or “I’ve experienced failure, so I’ve learned my lesson.” They believe they won’t make the same mistakes again. Others may think, “When I did that I was a young Christian, I would never fall into that trap again almost thinking that because I have been a believer for many year, I’m immune to such struggles.
However, Scripture warns us that we’re always capable of stumbling at any time. So, when you feel confident in your faith, be warned. The moment you think you stand securely, you’re actually most in danger of falling.
Today’s episode is a sobering reminder that our strength comes from God, not our own abilities.
Welcome to TBPDP.
Today we are going to explore Numbers chapter 20. This passage provides an outstanding lesson on this very topic sometimes paraphrased as, “Pride come before a fall (Proverbs 16: 18).
Rather than reading the entire chapter in obne go, let’s explore it piece by piece. The initial part of the passage discusses an unexpected rebellion—a surprising twist. Let’s begin at Numbers 20, verse 1.
1 Then the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there and was buried there.
(Numbers 20: 1)
It's widely known that after leaving Egypt and arriving at Kadesh-Barnea, the Lord declared that they would not enter the Promised Land, leading to 38 years of wandering in the wilderness. Although commonly referred to as 40 years, technically, it was 38 years due to 2 years of stuff happening before these events.
After leaving Egypt, they journeyed to Sinai, where they received the law in the book of Exodus. Leviticus is set during their time at Sinai, and then, in Numbers chapters 11 and 12 we finally saw them depart Sinai and travelled to Kadesh Barnea.
Another significant detail in verse one is the mention of Miriam's death and burial at Kadesh. It's worth noting that over 600,000 people died during the 38-year period, marking the end of a chapter in their journey. Now, as we begin verse two, a new phase unfolds.
2 Now there was no water for the congregation; so, they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. 3 And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! 4 Why have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? 5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.”
(Numbers 20: 2-5)
Upon arriving at Kadesh, the children of Israel found no water, and once again, they turned against Moses and Aaron, blaming them for their predicament.
It's a familiar scene, as they've done this before. Kadesh, though situated in the desert, was known as an oasis with a plentiful water supply, making the absence of water confusing.
The people, in their frustration, lamented, "If only we had died when our brethren died before the Lord."
Their contention with Moses and Aaron was more than mere disagreement; it was conflict and dispute. They accused Moses of leading them into the wilderness to die, questioning why they even left Egypt for such a desolate place devoid of the comforts they enjoyed back there.
They highlight the lack of water, essential for their survival and that of their livestock. This complaint exactly echoes the grievances of their forefathers, revealing a concerning pattern of behaviour repeating across generations.
Moses, familiar with such situations, had heard their complaints and responded.
6 So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus, you shall bring water for them out of the rock and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” 9 So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him. 10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.
(Numbers 20: 6-11)
This is not the first time this has happened. When Moses was challenged before, he went and said, "Lord, this is Your problem, not mine. What do I do?"
So, the Lord appears again, and He says: “Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron gather the whole community together. Speak to the rock in front of everyone, and it will miraculously bring forth water.
Then, you shall bring water for them and give drink to the whole Nation as well as the animals.
This would be a good place to put a mark in your bible. Sometimes it’s good to underline things, and this is one of those times.
In Numbers 20, verse eight, God says, "Speak to the rock." Now, either in your Bible or in your mind, underline that. It is very important.
He says, "Take the rod, and “speak” to the rock. Don't use the rod; just speak to the rock." So, he is to take it, but he's to speak, not use the rod.
But verse 9 says, "Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as He commanded him." So far, so good. What does it mean, "He took the rod before the Lord"?
Well, remember the Tabernacle and the veil that separated the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. Inside the Holy of Holies, inside the veil, was the Ark, and in the Ark was the rod.
So, he went and took the rod, just like the Lord told him to do.
Verse 10 says, "And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, 'Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?'"
Look at verse 10 carefully. We are meant to see Moses is irritated, "You rebels!" he calls them
Moses then as verse 11 says, "Struck the rock twice with his rod, and water came out and the congregation and their animals drank."
Alright, so they got an abundant supply of water, but what did the Lord tell him to do?
Speak (verse eight).
What did he do? He struck the rock.
Now, this is clearly a dramatic point in the Book of Numbers. How many times have I pointed out so far as we've been going through the Book of Numbers, that Moses did exactly what the Lord told him to do.
But not on this occasion.
How many times? I haven't counted, but it happens repeatedly. Now, suddenly, he doesn't do what he's told to do at all. He got the rod, but he strikes the rock, and he strikes it twice.
Now, that is a little confusing. This kind of thing happened before in the Book of Exodus. When they left Egypt, in chapter 17, they were without water, and Moses struck the rock, and out came water.
So, he's done this exact same thing before, only the Lord didn't tell him to do that this time. He was to speak to the rock and not strike it.
So apparently, his patience has been exhausted. He calls them rebels and strikes the rock twice.
This gets the Lord's attention.
12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” 13 This was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the Lord, and He was hallowed among them.
(Numbers 20: 12-13)
There are a couple of things here we've got to point out at this point.
I would say that Moses disobeyed the Lord here. Would that be an accurate description of what happened? The Lord said, "Speak," but Moses struck.
We the text actually says, "You didn't believe me."
I want to make a point, here and it about Trusting and Obeying the Lord
Like the Hymn says, 'Trust and Obey,' cause there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey."
I think that a lot of preachers, are so wanting people to obey the Lord, preach on obedience. Now, that's not at all a bad thing. The Bible certainly has a lot of commands. But I think that there's an issue that underpins obedience, and the real issue is, do you believe and trust in the Lord, for then you will want to obey him.
Let’s try not to put the cart before the horse, so to speak.
Because whether or not you will obey Him, is dependent on whether or not you believe in Him. It's not just obey; it's trust and obey, it's believing. And if you don't believe Him, you're not going to trust Him, and so you're not going to obey. So, the real issue is trust or faith and if you do that, then obedience will naturally follow.
So, notice, He also says, "You did not believe me, to hallow me."
Now, what is that about? Well, you didn't give glory to me; you took it.
What he failed to do was obey the Lord, and if he only spoke, that would have given the impression that he didn't do it, that the Lord did it without his help. But by striking it, he gave the impression that he was involved in the miraculous, but truthfully it couldn't have been done without the Lord allowing it.
So here is this faithful servant, Moses, who has been very faithful to the Lord, except on this occasion. As I mentioned a moment ago, he repeatedly has done what the Lord said he should do but then, all of a sudden, of all people that you think would stand, he has fallen.
"Be careful when you think you stand, lest you fall."
So, what's going on here is this: Moses harshly rebuked the people, but then he took credit for what God had done. He lost his temper, and he clearly disobeyed the Lord. He did not trust God's power; he failed to give God glory. And as we will see in a minute, this is what God calls.
So in the first 13 verses, Moses rebelled against the Lord, he disobeyed the Lord, and his punishment is: "You are not going to go into the land. I'm going to take the people in, as I said I was going to do. But you're not going to."
This is kind of a shock, after all that Moses had been through and all of his statements. He just missed this one thing, and God says, "You're not going to take the people into the land."
The next part of this passage begins at verse 14.
14 Now Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. “Thus says your brother Israel: ‘You know all the hardship that has befallen us, 15 how our fathers went down to Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers. 16 When we cried out to the Lord, He heard our voice and sent the Angel and brought us up out of Egypt; now here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your border. 17 Please let us pass through your country. We will not pass through fields or vineyards, nor will we drink water from wells; we will go along the King’s Highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.’ ”
(Number 20: 14-17)
At this point in the narrative, Moses is still leading the people towards the Promised Land, but there's more to the story to come. The text says that Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the King of Edom with this message: "Your now our troubled history, but when we cried out to the Lord, He heard our voice and brought us out of Egypt. Now, we are on the edge of your territory. Please allow us to pass through your country. We will not drink from your wells we will travel strictly along the King's Highway and will not until we have passed through your territory.'"
So rather than proceeding directly north from the south into Canaan, Moses intends to lead the people along the eastern side of the Dead Sea.
This, ‘King’s Highway’, was a major trade route that ran through this area, and Moses is seeking permission from Edom to use this road.
He refers to the Edomites as 'brothers' because they are descendants of Esau, making them kin to the Israelites in a historical and national sense.
So they seek to travel along the King's Highway, which stretches from Arabia to Damascus and Moses assures that the Israelites will not consume any resources or cause any disturbance; they only request passage through Edom's land.
The response from Edom is found in verse 18, which will reveal whether they grant this request or not.
18 Then Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through my land, lest I come out against you with the sword.” 19 So the children of Israel said to him, “We will go by the Highway, and if I or my livestock drink any of your water, then I will pay for it; let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.” 20 Then he said, “You shall not pass through.” So Edom came out against them with many men and with a strong hand. 21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so Israel turned away from him.
(Numbers 20: 18-21)
The response iss decidedly unfriendly and antagonistic. "Not on your life, you're not going through my land," was the firm reply.
It's important to note that the relationship between these two nations, represented by the brothers, was marked by nothing but antagonism.
In verse 19, the Israelites appeal to the King of Edom, saying, "We will travel along the highway, and if we—or our livestock—drink any of your water, we will pay for it. Just let us pass through on foot, nothing more." They promise not to consume any resources without compensation. What more could be reasonable?
However, in verse 20, the King of Edom's response is resolute: "You shall not pass through." Edom then mobilized men and a strong force, sending troops to block Israel's passage.
Israel's request was simple: to pass through using the King's Highway. But Edom was unyielding, deploying an army to prevent their transit.
Verse 21 tells us that Edom refused Israel's request for passage, forcing them to turn away and take another route. This rejection must have been a source of great discouragement for the Israelites.
So, the first part of this chapter illustrates Moses' rebellion against the Lord's command, and the second part details the Israelites' thwarted attempt to travel through Edom via the King's Highway.
The chapter concludes with the repercussions of these events.
The Death of Aaron.
22 Now the children of Israel, the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. 23 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying: 24 “Aaron shall be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against My word at the water of Meribah. 25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up to Mount Hor; 26 and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; for Aaron shall be gathered to his people and die there.” 27 So Moses did just as the Lord commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 28 Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 29 Now when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, all the house of Israel mourned for Aaron thirty days.
(Numbers 20: 22-29)
Verse 22 begins with the children of Israel, the entire congregation, departing from Kadesh and arriving at Mount Hor. The exact location of Mount Hor is uncertain, but it's generally agreed to be near the border of Edom, close to Kadesh.
This marks a significant detour for the Israelites. While the exact identification is unclear, it's likely in the vicinity since the Israelites' journey did not include the King's Highway, which lies between Kadesh and the suggested location.
The narrative then shifts to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, where the Lord communicates that Aaron will not enter the Promised Land due to their disobedience at the waters of Meribah. This is a pivotal moment, as it's revealed that Aaron's journey will end before reaching the land God promised to the children of Israel.
In verse 25, the focus turns to Eleazar, Aaron's son, who is to succeed his father. Moses obeys the Lord's command, ascending Mount Hor with Aaron and Eleazar. Then there is a solemn ceremony witnessed by the congregation, Moses transfers Aaron's priestly garments to Eleazar. Aaron then passes away on the mountain, and the text suggests his death was somewhat untimely, though it doesn't specify the cause.
At the end of his life, Aaron's role as priest is handed over to Eleazar, fulfilling the Lord's plan.
The congregation's reaction to Aaron's death is intense; despite previous complaints against him, they mourn for 30 days, demonstrating the significance of Aaron's role among them. This event foreshadows a similar response that will occur upon Moses' death.
The passage concludes by reflecting on the experiences of Moses and Aaron. That despite their spiritual maturity and leadership, they still faced consequences for their rebellion against the Lord.
This chapter therefore highlights the human limitations of even the most devout leaders, emphasizing that everyone is subject to God's will and judgment.
The story of Moses is indeed surprising, especially considering his history of obedience to the Lord. The key takeaway from this story, as highlighted in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, is the warning:
"Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall."
This passage serves as a reminder that no one is immune to failure, and even the most steadfast can stumble.
The Apostle Paul uses the experiences of the Israelites as examples for us, emphasizing that despite witnessing God's miracles, they still fell into disobedience and suffered the consequences.
These Old Testament stories are not just historical accounts; they are illustrations and lessons for us to learn from. They teach us the importance of humility and the dangers of overconfidence.
In teaching form the Bible it's common to state a principle and then find an illustration to support it.
While the New Testament often states principles directly, the Old Testament provides the stories that embody these principles.
In this case, the principle is clear: even those who are confident in their standing should be cautious, as pride can lead to a fall. This is particularly relevant in any community, including the academic world, where knowledge can sometimes breed a sense of superiority.
The lesson from Moses' story, and the subsequent interpretation by Paul, is a timeless warning to remain vigilant and humble, and to always recognize our own vulnerabilities and the need to depend on God's guidance.
It's a call to live with awareness and not to take our spiritual standing for granted.
This story indicates that sometimes when you think you stand you might just fall.