And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
Consider the typology again regarding the wilderness and the promised land. The Israelite’s journey through the wilderness is a type of a Christian’s struggle between the flesh and the Spirit. I used to pray “Lord, please don’t let me die in the wilderness.” I look back and see now it was a blessed day that prayer changed to “Lord, please let me die in the wilderness.” That flesh has got to die. Those carcasses have got to fall. God promised that they would.
We go through Numbers and see all the times that Israel murmured, complained and rebelled. We see all the times that God dealt with that. He sent plague. He opened up the earth. He sent fire. He sent serpents. All this judgment was given by God in order to fulfill his promise in bringing them to the promised land. It’s not to teach us that murmuring and complaining is wrong, but to demonstrate to us that the murmurer and the complainer within us must die.
For most, this journey is long. I noticed after the Bible says that the people were discouraged they again spoke against God and Moses, ” Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?” This is not the first time they’ve accused God of this. In other words, they still don’t seem to get it. In fact, that sounds much like what I used to pray, “Lord, please don’t let me die in the wilderness.”
I want to say this: Between plagues, it can be discouraging, but God knows the beginning from the end. Have you ever knelt down at the altar and said with a sincere heart, “All to Jesus, I surrender. All to Him I freely give.” Maybe you’ve done this many times, yet things just don’t seem to change. Don’t be discouraged, but trust Him. “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” (Mark 9:23)
Best I can tell, the last incident that ended the falling of all those carcasses was in Number 25:1-13. The Israelites where committing whoredoms with the daughters of Moab. They went to their sacrifices, and ate with them, and bowed down to their god, Baalpeor. “The anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.” (Numbers 25:3) So God once again calls for the death of the perpetrators. Moses tells the judges of Israel to “Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor.” (Number 25:5)
The people of Israel were before the door of the tabernacle. They were weeping. They were lamenting their sin. If they were at the door, no doubt they were bringing sacrifices for the sin that was committed. And while all this was going on, in front of all the people and in front of Moses, one child of Israel comes strolling in with his little girlfiend.
Numbers 25:7-8 And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.
I know it seems harsh. I know it’s dramatic. I know it’s serious. But in light of crossing over into that promised land, those four words, “the plague was stayed.” is the most important. The bible says that in this last plague to complete the death of that generation, 24,000 people died. But the most important of those 24,000 was the last one where the plague was stayed. His name was Zimri. He was the last one. That was it. It was get’n up time. Bless the Lord.
Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
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