Reading: Numbers 19-21, Psalm 46
Today we open the reading with what appears to be another shorthanded reference to Leviticus. But if you’re paying really close attention, you’ll see there is something new here. This particular sacrifice, involving a red heifer, is not present in Leviticus, and seems most closely related to the sacrifices for leprosy that are found there. As I mentioned, the leprosy sacrifices appear to refer to new birth. This sacrifice is not quite as heavily symbolic, but uses many of the same elements, and results in the “water of impurity,” a key element in purifying people who have been in contact with dead bodies. The concept being pushed here is that for the people of Israel, rebirth or new birth or new creation is the solution to the impurity of death. Watch out for this theme. It will come up again.
Following these laws, we have the passing of Miriam, which gets scant mention but is significant in two ways. First, it marks the passage of time: the death of Miriam, assumed to be the eldest of the siblings, shows that Moses and Aaron are getting up there in age and foreshadows that death is approaching. Second, the character of Miriam is identified with water throughout her life (Exodus 2 and 15) and Jewish tradition has called her “Miriam of the well” from antiquity. Though it is not apparent to us, to the ancient Israelite reader her death sets up the following scene involving water.
The next scene is yet another incident of grumbling due to the lack of water. In what by now has become the expected process, the people complain, Moses talks to God, and God makes provision. But there is a change in the story here. Moses doesn’t follow instructions. He is told to tell the rock to bring forth water, but instead he stands with Aaron and smites it with his staff after a frustrated statement to the people that “we” will bring water out of a rock. The pronoun reference isn’t totally clear, but God’s response indicates Moses was referring to himself and Aaron. It works, and the people get water, but God is not impressed with how Moses is cracking. He tells Moses that he will die before the people enter the promised land. This prediction will play out in the book of Deuteronomy. The whole water from the rock idea will get picked up much, much later in the story.
Next the people of Israel run into some relatives, the people of Edom, who were descendants of Esau. Unfortunately the family ties are a bit loose, and the king of Edom wants Israel to stay out. So they turn around. Eventually this will come back to bite Edom, but note here that this is a merciful act on God’s part for a descendant of Abraham that will not hold true for the other people of the region who refuse to let Israel pass through.
Leaving Edom, the people come to a mountain near the Dead Sea, where God says Aaron will die. The death of Aaron is a highly organized affair. As high priest, his passing will necessitate the investiture of his son Eleazar with his role. God has Moses publicly remove the high priestly robes and place them on Eleazar, so the people can see who will stand as their high priest. Once Aaron dies, they come down from the mountain and the whole people mourn for a month before moving on.
The rest of the reading today is about the defeat of three kings, punctuated by a strange incident involving a fiery snake. First, the three kings- of Arad, Aram, and Bashan- are all defeated by Israel in battle. Arad and Bashan come out and attacks Israel. Aram refused Israel safe passage despite assurances, so God has Israel destroy them. In the process, the Israelites gain the territory of Aram and Bashan. So their wilderness wanderings are not so harsh. However, prior to these victories, there is an incident where an entirely different manner of redemption is expressed.
As is hardly surprising, this incident begins with the people grumbling. Book of Grumbles. The people are sick of manna, thirsty, and they complain. God sends serpents among them. Note this is the first appearance of the animal since the garden in Genesis 3. The people are getting bit by the serpents, and one might expect another narrative of Moses asking for mercy and a restatement of the laws from Leviticus. But this is not quite what happens here. Instead, once the people have realized their problem, God has Moses make a bronze serpent on a stick, which the people must look to in order to live. This is a radically different kind of atonement. There is no sacrifice, no priest, and no transfer of guilt. There is only a raised up image, and the choice to look to it. This is an extremely strange incident in the story of Israel, and will stand as a kind of bizarre aberration for the next 1500 years, when it will finally be picked up.
Today’s reading also contains the first references to other written works in the Bible. As we move forward, this will happen again, though it will not become common until the book of Kings. In any case, we do not have “The Book of the Wars of the Lord,” but it appears to have been a poetic songbook of Israel’s wars. Songs of many sorts and poetic retelling of historical events were common in the ancient world. With some exceptions, these appear in the Bible in the book of Psalms, which we have been reading at a pace of one per day. I haven’t commented on the Psalms because they don’t really connect to the story in the way we are proceeding through it. That being said they are an extremely important part of the history of both Israel and the church, and I will be commenting on them when events expressed in them appear in the main narrative. I am also planning to cover Psalms as a whole at the end of the year in a separate project.