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When the Israelites had buried
Miriam in Kadesh-Barnea, they began to murmur again. There was no
water to drink, and they forgot their kind God who so often fed them from
Heaven, and would not trust Him. They said to Moses and Aaron,
"Why did you bring us here to kill us with thirst? We wish we
had died with our brethren before the Lord?" Then Moses and
Aaron fell on their faces before the door of the tabernacle, and the glory
of God appeared to them. He heard their prayer, and He told them
where to go for water, and what they must do. There was a great rock
in the wilderness, and God commanded them to go and speak to that rock,
and He said He would bring water out of it. Then Moses took his rod,
and he and Aaron called all the people to stand before the rock, to see
the wonder that God was going to do. But Moses and Aaron were tired
of the rebellion and disobedience of the people, and they became impatient
and passionate. This was wrong; they should have asked God to give
them meekness, and gentleness, and patience, and to help them to bear with
the Israelites. But Moses and Aaron spoke very loudly, and cried to
the people, "Hear, ye rebels, must we bring water for you out of the
rock?" Then Moses smote the rock, and the waters came out, and
the people and their cattle drank. But God was angry with Moses and
Aaron, because they had not obeyed Him, and when they came to Mount Hor,
He spoke to them again, and told them that they must die, and not go to
Canaan, because they had rebelled against him at the rock Meribah.
Aaron must die first; his work was ended, but Moses had much to do
still. All God's people have work to do; God gives them strength to
do it; and when it is finished, He takes them home to their rest. God
commanded Moses, and Aaron, and Eleazer, Aaron's son, to go up to the top
of Mount Hor; and there Moses was to take off the holy garments from
Aaron, and to put them upon Eleazer, and to make him High Priest instead
of Aaron. All three went up; they knew why they went; Aaron knew
that he was now going to die, that he should never offer sacrifices, and
pray for his people again. Aaron knew, too, that he must have a
sacrifice offered for him, and that he needed a High Priest to intercede
for him; and he had faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the great High Priest,
who should come to offer up a sacrifice for all the world, the sacrifice
of Himself. Aaron's sins had all been taken away, his heart had been
made new by the Holy Spirit, and he was ready to die. Moses took off
his brother's garments, and put them upon Eleazer; and then Aaron said
farewell to Moses, and to his son, and lay down on the mountain, and
died. Moses and Eleazer went back alone; and when the Israelites saw
that Aaron was dead, they wept for him thirty days.
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