There are very few passages of Scripture that can be classified as sad passages, but Numbers 20, for several reasons, is indeed a very sad chapter.

First of all, it is sad because two of Israel’s leaders die.  A third leader is told that he will die at a later point in time.  This chapter is also sad because of the rebellion that once again manifests itself in the lives of the children of Israel and provokes Moses to such an extent that he loses out in going into the Promised Land.  This is to stand as an object lesson not only to people throughout the ages but also to those in positions of leadership throughout history, that every aspect of decorum, attitude, and demeanor must be above all reproach. 

It is one thing to kick a hole in a wall of your home, while you are there by yourself, because of the frustrations that you have encountered, but it is completely another thing to kick a hole in a wall while the congregation is watching.  Such an action will be held in altogether a different light as far as God is concerned.  If there is anything that this chapter tells us, it is that very fact. 

As we study this chapter, there is one thing that repeatedly comes through: How are the chosen of God going to react to adverse circumstances?  Have you had any adverse circumstances come your way?  How did you react to them?  The older we become and the more experiences we have, the greater is our accountability in developing refined, Christian characters, so that those who are looking to us for words of encouragement and help will find the highest levels of example.  At least it should be that way. 

In my experience, as I have watched the adverse behavior of church members, I do not find myself nearly as disappointed as when I see such behavior in those of leadership.  When I see those to whom I have looked and held in high esteem fail, because of their own internal passion in how they relate to issues, I am much, much more disappointed.

“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.”  Numbers 20:1.  We need to remember that at this point in time there was almost an entirely new congregation than the one that found themselves at Kadesh when the ten spies gave their reports after scouting the Promised Land.  (See Numbers 13.)  At the time of their first stop in Kadesh, members of the present congregation were 20 years old or younger.  The children of Israel made their wanderings; they experienced the manna falling in the wilderness on every day but the Sabbath day, with a double portion on Friday.  Their shoes never wore out, nor did their clothes.  This generation experienced all of these miracles and then found themselves back at Kadesh.

“And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.  And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord!  And why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?  And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it [is] no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither [is] there any water to drink.  And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto them.  And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.  And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him.  And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?  And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts [also].  And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.  This [is] the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.”  Numbers 20:2–13.

This rebellion occurred because the children of Israel had not yet learned the lessons God wanted them to learn.  This generation that now finds itself at Kadesh is a generation that has to go through its own particular test. 

Often, we who are parents, having raised our children in the Lord, think that there is a special blessing due us by God.  He is expected to work a miracle because of our faithfulness in providing them occasions of worship and rehearsing to them the stories of God’s miracles.  We often think that they should, as a result of what we have done, be able to develop Christian characters and be ushered into a life of righteousness without going through their own testing times.  It never works that way.  Every generation must go through its test.  Every individual must be tested, to see if he or she has learned of God to the extent that his or her character is ready for the kingdom of heaven.  No one enters into the kingdom of heaven just because they are born of a certain line—their parents are in ministry or in medical work or in church leadership or whatever—without going through the test.  Every generation has to have its test.  The 40 years, which had been decreed upon the children of Israel as a punishment, were almost over. 

Death of Miriam

As the camp was assembled there at Kadesh for the second time, Miriam passed on to her death and was buried there.  There is little reference to this.  Miriam, of course, was a prophetess of God.  Remember, she was the one who, as the older sister of Moses and Aaron, led the singing on the shore of the Red Sea when Pharaoh and his hosts were thrown into the deep.  As nearly as we can tell chronologically, Miriam was about 130 years old when she died.  There is not much more recorded concerning her life.  There may be a reason for that.  Like Aaron, Miriam had also sinned greatly in her jealousy regarding Moses.  She was probably about 90 years old at that point in time.  She should have been old enough to know better. 

There is one true lesson in this, even for Moses, and that is that one’s age does not prevent one from sinning.  Some people, when referring to righteousness by faith, have jokingly called it righteousness by senility, in that, upon becoming old, an individual becomes unable to have the grasp or comprehension to distinguish between right and wrong.  Therefore, they reason, the Lord looks upon the past life and governs accordingly.  I do not think that is how God views this situation. 

Accountability of Leadership

There is a great deal of significance placed upon the sins of leaders, and those sins bring a greater penalty than the sins of the members of the congregations.  I have for some time now been pondering about how we are to relate to leadership today.  One of the greatest needs in the historic movement is that of true leadership and organization.

In Scripture, I find that those who have been called to positions of leadership are going to be held to a greater accountability.  They are going to be held to a greater accountability, because they have been placed in a position of leadership over the congregation, and they are to lead that congregation in the right way under any and all circumstances. 

“The sins of good men, whose general deportment has been worthy of imitation, are peculiarly offensive to God.  They cause Satan to triumph, and to taunt the angels of God with the failings of God’s chosen instruments, and give the unrighteous occasion to lift themselves up against God.”  The Story of Redemption, 168.  Leaders hold a special place in the eyes of God.  Not only are they accountable for their own sins, but they are also accountable as to how they influence their congregation and the stands that they take.  The congregation is not held to that accountability.

As we read this story of Moses and the children of Israel, there is the tendency for us to look at what Moses did, and say, “I just don’t see it as that bad of a situation.”  We have a tendency to make the same rationalization regarding Eve at the tree.  “I just don’t see that it was that bad.”  But God sees the example that it sets, and we see the consequences of the disobedience. Concerning whether or not Miriam, will be in the kingdom of heaven, the Scriptures are silent.  It just says that Miriam died and was buried there.  She failed to enter into the Promised Land.

Blinded by Unbelief

The next part of the narrative reads as though there had not been any interval of years.  One may perceive that it was the old generation that was at Kadesh just a short time before, but it was a different generation—a generation that had not learned the lessons of the previous generation. 

“Just before the Hebrew host reached Kadesh, the living stream ceased that for so many years had gushed out beside their encampment.  It was the Lord’s purpose again to test His people.  He would prove whether they would trust His providence or imitate the unbelief of their fathers.”  Patriarchs and Prophets, 413. 

As mentioned before, being raised in a good Seventh-day Adventist home does not guarantee for you a place in the kingdom of heaven.  You have no guarantee just because you had the benefit of being raised in that type of home.  You must have your own tests.  You will be brought through trials to test your own individual experience.  God is going to prove every person.  If you do not meet a test, if you fall and fail in a test, God is going to bring you right back around, and you will find yourself at the very same place again. 

This is basically what happened with the children of Israel.  Where had they before failed?  The first generation failed at Kadesh.  The whole congregation had moved through the experiences of the numerous times God had provided every possible example for them of faithfulness, bringing them around again and again to the same, exact place.  God will do that. 

These people who had rejoiced that the water was available to them day by day by day, should have rejoiced when it stopped.  Why should they have rejoiced when it stopped?  Because they were going to enter into the Promised Land.  They should have seen this as evidence—a sign to them.  This was a sign that they should have understood, just as Jesus tells us, in Matthew 24, “These are the signs that are going to come to pass.  Watch for this; watch for that.  When you see these things, lift up your head.”  They should have known they were getting close to entering the Promised Land.  Their wilderness wandering was nearly over. 

“Had they not been blinded by their unbelief, they would have understood this.  But that which should have been an evidence of the fulfillment of God’s promise was made the occasion of doubt and murmuring.”  Ibid. 414.  Here, for a short while, was an opportunity for them to walk by faith instead of by sight, but the first trial developed the same, turbulent, unthankful spirit that had been manifested by their fathers.  No sooner was the cry for water heard in the encampment than they forgot the hand that had for so many years supplied their wants, and instead of turning to God for help, they murmured against Him.

Missed Learning Opportunity

What a situation for a learning opportunity!  It was this generation’s first occasion to be tried, but they had the history of their parents’ generation.  When the Israelites had set up camp, during the early days of their freedom, they found that they were without water.  (See Exodus 17.)  They came to Moses, and at the Lord’s instruction, Moses struck the rock in Horeb and water flowed.  Paul says that Rock followed them.  That Rock was Christ.  (See 1 Corinthians 10:2–4.)  Had God supplied their need there?  He certainly had. 

Now this generation was experiencing the same trial, but something was wrong.  They repeated the same sin.  That tells me that there was a failure on the part of the older generation to instruct the younger ones as to the blessings of God.  It tells me that they perhaps did not have worship together as they gathered around the campfire each evening.  They neglected to recount the blessings of God in their past history. 

This generation did not know; they did not have enough instruction, so when they faced an experience similar to that of their parents, they did not know what to do.  This can happen.  Parents can fail to instruct their children as to the faithfulness of God.  When the children are brought into trying experiences, they do not know what to do. 

There was also a problem with the younger generation that should have been seeking for knowledge—What can you tell me about the faithfulness of God—Mom, Dad, Aunt, Uncle, Grandpa, Grandma?  What can you tell me?  What has been your experience?  You have lived much longer than I.  They did not learn, nor were they taught.

Discontented Hearts; Reckless Tongues

One thing is for sure.  As far as we know, there was a failure.  Numbers 20:3 says, “And the people chode with Moses.”  They do not just come to Moses with a plea for water.  “Moses, I am thirsty.  Moses, my animals are panting.”  It says, they “chode with Moses.”

To be concluded . . .