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| Three Detours on the Road to Holiness
The glory of the Lord leads Israel in the form of a cloud by day and a pillar p 96 of fire by night. After only three days, trouble arises when the people complain of their misfortunes (Nm 10:33–11:1). The Lord’s anger is enkindled, and the fire of the Lord consumes the outlying parts of the camp. Moses quickly intercedes, and the fire abates. The place is then named Taberah, which means “burning” in Hebrew. Such a sudden eruption of complaining and anger does not bode well for the journey ahead; indeed, things will soon go from bad to worse. In Exodus 16, Israel had cried out in hunger, and God miraculously fed them with manna. Now after a year of eating nothing but manna, Israel complains, “O that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at” (Nm 11:4–6). In the gift of manna, which Exodus 16:31 described as tasting like “wafers made with honey,” Israel received a foretaste of the Promised Land, the land flowing with milk and honey. Now, however, Israel despises the manna and refuses to see it as a promise of what lies ahead; instead, they long for what lies behind. Rejecting God’s provision, they pine for the food of Egypt. God’s original provision of manna was in response to Israel’s complaint of hunger. In contrast, this new complaint is not out of hunger or need but rather out of a disordered desire for what they have left behind and a failure to hope in what the manna signified, the blessing of the fruitful land of God’s promise. Not able to hope in what is yet unseen, Israel walks by what they know. This route is a return to bondage and a rejection of all God is doing for them. Not surprisingly, God’s anger is sparked by Israel’s ingratitude. Rejecting the gift of manna, the people crave meat. God responds, and a great wind blows, bringing an abundance of quails (Nm 11:31). But in the midst of their meal, a “very great plague” breaks out. The very mention of a plague recalls God’s mighty wonders against the hard-hearted Egyptians. How can Israel, God’s firstborn son, now experience such things? The answer is simple: when Israel crossed the Red Sea, God promised that if Israel obeyed him, he would not afflict them with plagues as he had the Egyptians, “for I am the L ORD , your healer” (Ex 15:26). Israel is acting like the Egyptians and, as a result, plagues are now turned upon them—and there is nowhere to hide in the wilderness. Moses, understandably, begins to buckle under the weight of Israel’s p 97 ingratitude. He begs God for assistance, and God promises to pour out his Spirit upon seventy elders of Israel who will help Moses in the task of leading the people. This tradition is the origin of the custom in Jesus’ day of having a senate of seventy leaders over the Jews, known as the Sanhedrin (which means “the seventy”). This is the group before which Jesus will be tried. More importantly for Numbers, Moses comments that he wishes all the people of Israel could receive God’s Spirit, just as these seventy do. All the tragedies and failures of Israel in this story serve to underscore what Moses perceives: Israel needs God’s Holy Spirit to follow God. That gift will be a long time coming. A third crisis occurs when Miriam and Aaron speak against Moses and question his authority. They put themselves forward as leaders, claiming that God speaks not only through Moses but also through them. In response, God reminds them that when he speaks to a prophet, it is often in a dream, but God speaks to Moses directly. Indeed, God says that Moses is “entrusted with all my house” (Nm 12:7). This phrase recalls Joseph, who was entrusted with all of Potiphar’s house and then all of Pharaoh’s house, being made, in effect, the prime minister of Egypt. If Yahweh is King, then by entrusting Moses with his house, he has made Moses a kind of prime minister. While Aaron, because of his priestly service, is not made unclean, Miriam is struck with leprosy as a result of her challenge. Aaron turns to Moses and calls him “lord,” now recognizing Moses’ authority, and begs forgiveness and healing. Moses intercedes, and Miriam is healed after a week of being sent out of the camp, which is the law for lepers, who are considered unclean. Rebelling against God’s covenant leader is, in fact, rebellion against the One from whom the covenant leader receives his power and authority. Nevertheless, thanks to Moses’ intercession, God is also Israel’s healer. These crises began among the margins of the people, so God’s anger burned on the periphery of the camp. Miriam and Aaron’s challenge of Moses’ authority shows that the cancer of criticism and rebellion has now reached the very marrow and heart of the people. This movement of dissent from the margins of the camp to the vital leaders surrounding Moses points out just how far and fast Israel is falling. All three of these challenges occur just three days’ distance from Sinai. p 98 Recall that one year earlier, just three days out from Egypt, Israel also had begun to complain about the food and water and had questioned Moses’ authority, yet their rebellion and murmurings were met with mercy. On the way from Sinai to the Promised Land, however, Israel’s complaining is met with plagues and judgment. Why the change? The difference is found in what happened at Sinai. There, Israel had willingly entered into a covenant with Yahweh, swearing that “all that the L ORD has spoken we will do” (Ex 19:8). Having experienced the revelation at Sinai, and having bound themselves in covenant, Israel is held to a higher standard. Faithfulness to this covenant brings abundant blessings, but unfaithfulness also has consequences. tải về 6.33 Mb. Chia sẻ với bạn bè của bạn:
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