When Moses struck the rock twice, he disobeyed God, for God had not commanded him to strike the rock, but to speak to it. And when he said, "Must we fetch you water out of this rock?" he did not speak as he should have spoken; he was not careful to give the honour to God, who alone could make the water to flow forth from the rock1.

It was a great sin in Moses, to disobey God, or to neglect to honour Him; for he had been brought very near to God, and God had shown him His glory, and had spoken with him face to face. And God had said that He would be sanctified by those whom He allowed to come nigh Him2.

Therefore God punished Moses and Aaron for this sin with a heavy punishment. He said that they should not go into the promised land of Canaan. "The Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, and said, 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."

1 Numbers xxvii. 14. Psalm cvi. 33.

2 Levit. x. 3.

And that place was called Meribah, which meant, "the water of strife."

Deut. ii. 2, 3. 14. & Numbers xx.

A congregation is a number of persons who have met together in one place. The congregation which Moses led, was the whole people of Israel.

Chapter LXEX.

THE DEATH OF AARON.

THE children of Israel journeyed on from Kadesh Meribah, till they came to a mountain called. mount Hor; and they encamped there.

And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, and said that Aaron should die. God said, "Aaron shall be gathered unto his people : for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against me at the waters of Meribah. Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up

unto mount Hor; and strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall die there."

Aaron was now to die, and be gathered to those of his people who had died before him; but before he died, his garment of blue and purple and gold, which God had commanded him to wear when he went into the tabernacle, and when he offered incense, was to be put upon Eleazar; for Eleazar his son was to be high priest in his stead.

And when Eleazar should die, Eleazar's son was to be the next high priest; for the high priest was ever afterwards to be one of the family of Aaron.

Then Moses went up into mount Hor, with Aaron and Eleazar his son, as the Lord had commanded, in the sight of all the people. "And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount.

"And when all the congregation saw that

Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty

days."

Numbers xx. 23–28. & xxxiii. 37, 38.

Chapter LXX.

THE BRAZEN SERPENT.

AFTER the death of Aaron, the children of Israel journeyed on from mount Hor towards the land of Canaan.

Moses did not lead them the same way that they had gone before; for God had commanded that they should go round by the land of Edom, where the children of Esau dwelt. And God said that they should do no harm to the children of Esau, nor to anything that was theirs, for God had given that land to them for a possession. But the children of Esau would not let them go through their land, so they had to travel a long way round; and the people were much grieved because of the way.

Then they spake against God and against Moses,

and said, "Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread."

Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.

Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that He take away the serpents from us."

Then Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord heard the prayer of Moses; and He told him to make a serpent of brass, and to set it upon a pole, and said that every one that was bitten, when he looked upon this serpent of brass, should live.

Then "Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived."

Deut. ii. 4, 5. Numbers xxi.