Numbers 18-20 / March 2 (Day 62)

3/2/2012

Numbers 18
Numbers 18:19 says, "All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to the LORD, I have given to you and your sons and daughters with you as an ordinance forever; it is a covenant of salt forever before the LORD with you and your descendants with you." What is a covenant of salt? The commentary “IVP Bible Background” has this to say about it:

“Salt was used widely as symbolic of preservation. When treaties or alliances were made, salt was employed to symbolize that the terms would be preserved for a long time. Babylonian, Persian, Arabic and Greek contexts all testify to this symbolic usage. In the Bible, likewise, the covenant between the Lord and Israel is identified as a covenant of salt—a long-preserved covenant. Allies entering into such an agreement would generally share a communal meal where salted meat was featured. Thus the use of salt in the sacrifices was an appropriate reminder of the covenant relationship. Additionally, salt impedes the action of yeast (leaven), and since leaven was a symbol of rebellion, salt could easily represent that which inhibited rebellion.”

Chapter 20
It’s hard to blame Moses for his anger after all he had gone through with the people, but it does serve as a reminder to us to not let frustrations build up in our heart against others. God wanted to be glorified by Moses speaking to the rock; instead Moses would not be allowed to go into the Promised Land. I don’t know if it was all anger and frustration that Moses hit the rock or was he just resorting to what he did last time. Does anyone else have any thought on this event?

2 Comments

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shari

3/2/2012 10:36:27 am

Regarding Moses hitting the rock twice instead of speaking
to it, it does seem like a severe punishment for Moses not to be able to enter the promised land.

An article I found states it was because the first rock was a analogy of Christ striken for us but the second rock was an analogy of Christ and his finished work on the cross.
Here is a portion of that comment:

The first striking of the rock took place early in the Exodus and is a picture of Him who was stricken for us, but the second striking of the rock took place at the end of the 40 years in the wilderness, where the rock was clearly meant to be a symbol of the victory that is based upon our Lord's sacrifice, a Second Advent reference, just as the entrance into the land is typical of the restoration of Israel after the Second Advent.

By striking the rock instead of speaking to it as he was instructed - and striking it twice at that - Moses sent the wrong message entirely, suggesting, symbolically, that the first striking had been insufficient, and that (again, symbolically) Christ's sacrifice once and for all had not been enough - something more was needed!

Joshua

3/3/2012 09:26:38 pm

Interesting comment. It is true today, i believe, that people still don't walk into God's "promised land" because they don't really see Christ's sacrifice sufficient for them. They may say it was, but we need to really see the work as "finished." Then we can speak God's word in faith and live by faith, not striving from the flesh.