Numbers 19-21; Proverbs 22:17-29

Tuesday's Bible Reading: Numbers 19-21; Proverbs 22:17-29


Wilderness of Zin, Photo by Barry Bandstra

In the desert of Zin, Miriam died and was buried. And once again the people grumbled about their miserable life in the desert. Moses and Aaron went to the Tent of Meeting and fell facedown. The glory of the Lord appeared to them, and God instructed them to gather the assembly and "Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water"(20:8). But Moses struck the rock instead of speaking to it. His seemingly small act of disobedience resulted in punishment that seems disproportionate: "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them" (20:12). Moses got the results he wanted (water for the people), but lost the privilege of entering the Promised Land.


Photo by Todd Bolen, BiblePlaces.com

Two highways ran north to south through Edom and Moab: the King’s Highway (shown here) and the Way of the Wilderness. The advantage of the King’s Highway was the accessibility of water and food, but its disadvantage was difficult crossings of deep canyons. The Israelites wanted to pass through Edom on the King’s Highway, but the Edomites forced them to go around, utilizing the Way of the Wilderness (Num 20:17-18; Deut 2:1-8). —Todd Bolen, BiblePlaces.com

David Roberts drawing of Mount Hor (1842-49)
Abraham died on Mount Hor, near Petra.