💥 *** God's commandment when it came time for the children of Israel to posses the land given to them by God.

Numbers 33

50 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,

51 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan;

52 Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places:

53 And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it.

54 And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man's inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit.

55 But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.

56 Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them.

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2 Corinthians 6

14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

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💥 *** The last battle for Moses:

 

 

Numbers 31

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.

3 And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the LORD of Midian.

4 Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.

5 So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.

6 And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand.

7 And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.

8 And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.

(Balaam was hanging out with the Midianites when the attack by the children of Israel came and he was slain with the Midianites.  Take heed to this example!)

9 And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods.

10 And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire.

11 And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of men and of beasts.

12 And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and unto the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by Jordan near Jericho.

(Didn't God tell them to slay all the women who had known men, had sex with men?)

13 And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp.

14 And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle.

15 And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?
 

16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.

17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

18 But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

19 And do ye abide without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify both yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day.

20 And purify all your raiment, and all that is made of skins, and all work of goats' hair, and all things made of wood.

21 And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war which went to the battle, This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses;

22 Only the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

23 Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make it go through the fire, and it shall be clean: nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of separation: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the water.

24 And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterward ye shall come into the camp.

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25 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

26 Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of beast, thou, and Eleazar the priest, and the chief fathers of the congregation:

27 And divide the prey into two parts; between them that took the war upon them, who went out to battle, and between all the congregation:

28 And levy a tribute unto the LORD of the men of war which went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep:

29 Take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, for an heave offering of the LORD.

30 And of the children of Israel's half, thou shalt take one portion of fifty, of the persons, of the beeves, of the asses, and of the flocks, of all manner of beasts, and give them unto the Levites, which keep the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.

31 And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.

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When I have been visiting with an unbeliever, I often pray this over myself:  

Psalm 51:10  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

When we "visit" with the world or with the apostate church people who have cast away scripture and have set up other doctrines, we "touch" the unclean.  I know God can instantly cleanse us and set us in the right spirit again.

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💥 *** The end of Moses' life. Joshua appointed by God to lead the children of Israel into the promised land.

 

 

Numbers 27

12 And the LORD said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel.

13 And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered.

14 For ye rebelled against MY commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify ME at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.

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Moses asked God to appoint a man to lead the children of Israel:

Numbers 27:15

15 And Moses spake unto the LORD, saying,

16 Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,

17 Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd.

18 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him;

19 And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight.

20 And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient.

21 And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the LORD: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation.

22 And Moses did as the LORD commanded him: and he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation:

23 And he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.

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💥 *** Jesus, The Word, is all the world to me.

Psalm 23  (The Lord is The Word)

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 HE maketh me to lie down in green pastures: HE leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 HE restoreth my soul: HE leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for HIS name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for THOU art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 THOU preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: THOU anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

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John 1

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by HIM; and without HIM was not any thing made that was made.

4 In HIM was life; and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through HIM might believe.

8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

10 HE was in the world, and the world was made by HIM, and the world knew HIM not.

11 HE came unto HIS own, and HIS own received HIM not.

12 But as many as received HIM, to them gave HE power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on HIS name:

13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld HIS glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

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From the beginning of time "The Word" was with God.  And "The Word" is God.  And we follow "The Word."

John 10  (Jesus, The Word, says to us)

27 MY sheep hear MY voice, and I know them, and they follow ME:

28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any (no spirit, no man, no circumstance) pluck them out of MY hand.

29 MY Father, which gave them ME, is greater than all; and no(ne) is able to pluck them out of MY Father's hand.

1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 To HIM the porter openeth; and the sheep hear HIS voice: and HE calleth HIS own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

4 And when HE putteth forth HIS own sheep, HE goeth before them, and the sheep follow HIM: for they know HIS voice.

5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

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Hebrews 11:3  Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

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💥 ***God leads us today by scriptures, HIS Word, which he brings to us out of both the Old and New Testaments.

 

 

 

Examples given of God doing this with various Christians.  Patterns of how God speaks to us today by HIS Word.  Faith in that which God says to us.

From the Old Testament:  an example of following God by doing what God says.

God calls Joshua to lead the children of Israel after the death of Moses, and how to accomplish the will of God for our lives.  These things apply to that which God has told us to do today.

When God tells you to do something today, the pattern which will show you what to do and how to have good success.

Philippians 4:13  The apostle Paul says:  I can do all things through Christ (the Word given me by God in the issue of this life) which strengtheneth me.

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Pam Padgett, a member of the body of Christ, saw a word from Old Testament which showed her to take early retirement because her job was destruction to her.

Micah 2:10  Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.

What would she do with all that time ?

Pam retired in February, 2012, at age of approximately 56.

God gave me a dream to start a blog in March, 2012.  I called Pam to see if she could set it up and run it for the ministry.  (Then we learned that Pam has spiritual gift of "helps".)

I Corinthians 12:28  Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. 28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

Everything turned out very well for her after early retirement.  She has been working with us since she retired.  Now she has set up and maintains blog, our books with Amazon, and since 2020 Podcasts, and now the addition of the Classical Music Podcast.

Recently we had to get another church person to help Pam with all the work she has had to do.

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On this Podcast, I present how God leads us, often with Old Testament scripture.

Joshua 1  (God taught Joshua how to do the work to replace Moses in the job of leading the Children into the promised land.)

1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,

2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.

(The assignment given Joshua differs from our assignment but the method of doing the assignment still applies to the New Testament church today.)

3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.

5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.

7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.

8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

(The "book of the law" for us is the New Testament Bible which contains laws of God for the New Covenant church.  Also many promises of God apply to the New Testament church today.)

9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Explained on this Podcast.

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💥*** When we go in the way directed by God, signs will follow.

I felt strongly God wanted us to go through the Old Testament and compare the ways of God in OT with parallels in the New Testament.  So when I was convinced to do this, that it was what God wanted, I began taking us through the examples in the OT presenting them on the Podcasts and talking about NT ways, comparing them with OT.

The Old Testament so often shows us how God views various issues and we see things that greatly please God and also see those things and ways that anger God mightily.

God changes us from within as we consider the Old Testament!  And often we don't even realize we are being changed until something arises to show us how different we are about the issue from past feelings.

When they complained, it greatly displeased God.  And God brought enormous plagues upon the congregation and killed thousands in the plagues.

If we complain, we show lack of faith in God.

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Recently the main amplifier that runs my left front speaker on my sound system quit working.  This is like having the motor fall out of your car for the amplifier forces the sound out of the system.

I've been involved with high end sound equipment since 1990. I have God-given special abilities to hear sound.  So I am very affected by sound and various quality of sound.

The amp quit working in late August, 2023.

I noticed a change in me when this happened.  Normally I would have been very upset over this, even depressed!  Certainly inwardly complaining.

But this time, I just sat looking at that amp which was doing nothing at all.

We tried all the things the sound manual said to do to reboot the unit and nothing worked.

The amp would have to be sent to either Austin, Texas, or to New York, to one of three authorized repair shops.

The unit weighs 150 lbs.  

But we have already planned to have two men come to do some work at the house and they will be able to lift the unit and box it for shipping and put it into the garage.  We can send it by truck to the service recommended by the manufacturer.  I'm sure Pam Padgett will make the necessary arrangements for me.

I made a statement to Pam that I was surprised I wasn't upset over this like I have been in past years when sound equipment has gone down.

God then showed me I have been greatly changed by HIM from within as I have read these Old Testament scriptures during the past few months.

Amazing!  I didn't even know God was doing this work inside of me, but HE was.

We see so many examples of the people in the Old Testament complaining and how this greatly displeases God!

(And weren't we changed when we were born again, when God gave us HIS Word?)

The Word of God has great power to change us from within ourselves, causing us to automatically react in a way that pleases God for we know God is in charge and makes a way for us when there seems to be "no way".

In the case of my amp, the way was all laid out in front of me immediately, as soon as the problem arose:  We have a small but excellent Jeff Rolland amp which Pam easily carried to my room and set beside the speaker and hooked it up.  We will go ahead and set up the repair date with the authorized service, even setting approximate date they can expect to receive the unit.  We will arrange for unit to be boxed and then shipped by truck.  Pam even has a Fed Ex retired employee discount for shipping.  And Pam has a working amp just exactly like my amp sitting in the room adjacent to my room so it can be moved into my room for me to use until my amp has been repaired and returned to me, as soon as strong men arrive at our house to do work!

And we can know if something matters to us, God is already on the case!

God says:

Isaiah 45:2  I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:

These truths grow within us and live within us!

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When we do the will of God, signs follow:  Jesus says:

Mark 16

15 And HE (Jesus) said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In MY name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, HE was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

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💥 *** When there is sin, God is appeased by judgment.

 

Numbers 25

3 And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.

4 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel.

5 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor.

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6 And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

7 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;  8 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.

9 And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.  (24,000)

10 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

11 Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned MY wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for MY sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in MY jealousy.

12 Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace:

13 And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.

14 Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, even that was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites.

15 And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head over a people, and of a chief house in Midian.

16 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 17 Vex the Midianites, and smite them:

18 For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor's sake.

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💥*** Death of Balaam

Balaam put himself with the enemies of God and when the children of Israel were sent by God to destroy those enemies, Balaam was killed with them.

Joshua 13:22  Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among them that were slain by them.

Numbers 31

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.

7 And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.

8 And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.  (What was Balaam doing with the Midianites who were the enemies of God?)

Why do you delight in being with enemies of God?

I Corinthians 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

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2 Corinthians 6

14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be MY people.

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean; and I will receive you,

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be MY sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

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Warning concerning going in the way of Balaam for reward of this world.

2 Peter 2

14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: 15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

Micah 6:5  O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD.

The righteousness of God is doing that which God says to us.

Jude v. 11  Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

Mark 8:36  (Jesus says)  For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

I know ministers who go all over the world speaking of Jesus and yet lie in other matters and even steal from worldly people.

Matthew 23  (Jesus says)

14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

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💥*** God blesses the children of Israel

 

King Balak brought Balaam to curse the large army that came out of Egypt which was camped beside his land of Moab.

God told Balaam not to do this because these people were blessed by God.

But Balaam desired the reward the king would give him if he cursed the nation of Israel.

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3 times Balaam built alters and presented burnt offerings and three times blessings came from Balaam's lips instead of curses.

One time God even said to Balaam, "What is it that these men are with you?  What are you doing with these men who are against God?"  (Numbers 22:9)

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Blessing # 1.

Numbers 22

39 And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kirjathhuzoth. 40 And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him. 41 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people.  

(They went to the place of Baal, a false god of the people.  You see Balaam who hopes to hear from the God of Israel let himself be led to the high place of Baal, a false god.)

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Numbers 23

5 And the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak.

6 And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab.  7 And he (Balaam) took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy (challenge the power of)  Israel.

8 How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, (defy: openly resist or refuse; challenge the power of;) whom the LORD hath not defied?

9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. (They shall be separate and above all nations.)

10 Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!

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11 And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.

12 And he (Balaam) answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth?

(Balaam's way was perverse otherwise he wouldn't be with Balak.  But he did speak truth to Balak and he did speak the words God put into his heart.  But Balaam's end will not turn out well.)

13 And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence.

14 And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.

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Blessing # 2 spoken by Balaam over the army of Israel:

16 And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus.

17 And when he (Balaam) came to him (king Balak), behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the LORD spoken?

18 And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor: 

19 God is not a man, that HE should lie; neither the son of man, that HE should repent: hath HE said, and shall HE not do it? or hath HE spoken, and shall HE not make it good?

20 Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and HE hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.

21 HE hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath HE seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them. 22 God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn. 23 Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!

24 Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.

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25 And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.

26 But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do?

27 And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence.

28 And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward Jeshimon.

29 And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.

30 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.

Numbers 24

Blessing # 3:

1 And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.

2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him.

3 And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: 4 He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:

5 How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel!

6 As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river's side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters.

7 He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.

8 God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows.

9 He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.

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Now Balak, the king, is really angry.

Numbers 24

10 And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. 11 Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour.

12 And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying, 13 If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the LORD saith, that will I speak?

14 And now, behold, I go unto my people: come therefore, and I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.

Balaam prophesies over Israel:

15 And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:

16 He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:

17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.

18 And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly.

(Though Balaam knew these things, he continued to hang out with Moab and the enemies of God. It will be to Balaam's destruction in the end.)

19 Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.

20 And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever.

21 And he looked on the Kenites, and took up his parable, and said, Strong is thy dwellingplace, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock. 22 Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.

23 And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live when God doeth this!

24 And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish for ever.

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25 And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.

Nehemiah 13:2   Because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, that he should curse them: howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing.

Numbers 24:9  Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.

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💥*** The angel of God stands as an adversary before Balaam.

 

 

 

Numbers 22

 

23 And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.

24 But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.

25 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again.

26 And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.

27 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.

28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?

29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.

30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.

31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.

32 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:

(perverse:  self willed in your own desires; showing a deliberate and obstinate desire to behave in a way that is unacceptable; contrary to the accepted or expected standard or practice; turned away from what is right or good)

33 And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.

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34 And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.

35 And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

36 And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him unto a city of Moab, which is in the border of Arnon, which is in the utmost coast.

37 And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to promote thee to honour?

38 And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.

(Balaam sounds right now but don't be deceived.  You will soon see who it is that he chooses to hang out with at the end.)

39 And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kirjathhuzoth.

40 And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him.

41 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people.

(Baal is the god of this world and is worshipped by people of the world.  How could sacrifices to God be offered in the high places of Baal? We see the perversion of Balaam.)

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💥*** Numbers 22: King Balak calls on Balaam to curse the people of God.

 

The children of Israel had 603,000 men of war in their army walking through the wilderness of the land for 40 years before entering the promised land.

God was leading them from place to place and the people of those lands heard about them and were very afraid of them.

Numbers 22

1 And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho.

2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.

3 And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.

4 And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.

5 He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:  6 Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot (know) that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.

7 And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.

8 And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam.

9 And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee?  

(What is it that these men are here with you?  A negative statement from God.  What are you doing being with this type of person?)

10 And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying,

11 Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out.

12 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.

13 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with you.

The men returned to their land and their king, Balak, and told him Balaam refused to go with them.

But Balak didn't give up and sent even more honorable men with rewards to Balaam.

In his heart Balaam had a desire for the rewards that the king could give him and he shows his lust through the next things he did.

Balaam decided to ask God again if he could go with the king's men.

What did God say the first time Balaam asked this of God?  

12 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.

This should have ended the matter with Balaam.

Keep the Word from God in front of you and go forward doing that word and being led by that word.

How could you want to curse people who are blessed?  

(You are sure to lose doing that!  You will bring curses upon yourself doing that.  And why would you even want to do that, setting yourself with enemies of God and setting yourself against God and HIS people?)

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Numbers 22

16 And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me: 17 For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.

18 And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more.

That should have ended the matter.  Balaam should have refused to be around these men further and should have sent them away.

(But instead Balaam said:)

19 Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more.

(Such a bad idea to ask God again if he can go curse the children of Israel!  If you keep on at God, HE might turn you lose to pursue your own desires.)

20 And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.

21 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.

22 And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him.

Why would God be angry?  God told him to go.  This was a type of test to view the true heart of Balaam who lusted for the reward of man.

When God revealed these people were blessed of God, Balaam should have restrained himself and refused to go against them in any way knowing now they are blessed of God. 

But Balaam coveted reward from the worldly king.

Let us set our heart as Abraham did when the king of Sodom offered him reward:

Genesis 14

21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.

22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,

23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:

We should set our hearts wanting our "wealth" to come from God only ... and wanting our praise to come from God in matters pertaining to this life.

 

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💥 *** The children of Israel make a vow to God.

 

Numbers 21

1 And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners.

2 And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If THOU wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.

3 And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah.

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New Testament Church:  We tear down their gods, destroy their graven images, kill their gods by presenting the truth of the God who created the heaven and the earth, the true God.  We allow nothing of their previous gods to live in them for we counter their gods with the truth of the Word of God, burning their gods alive with the Word from our God.

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Numbers 21

4 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.

5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, 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.

6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

 

I Corinthians 10

1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.

10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.  (Numbers 21)

11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

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There is such a difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament:

In the Old Testament, the people were not given the Holy Spirit of God so they most often saw with their natural eyes.

In the New Testament church, all who are born of God are born of the Spirit of God and the Holy Spirit lives inside each believer to guide him into all truth, to teach him all things, to remind him of that which Jesus says, and to show him things to come.  (John 14:26 & John 16:13)

Numbers 21

7 Therefore 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. And Moses prayed for the people.

8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

9 And 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.

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Numbers 21

10 And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in Oboth.

11 And they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Ijeabarim, in the wilderness which is before Moab, toward the sunrising.

12 From thence they removed, and pitched in the valley of Zared.

13 From thence they removed, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, which is in the wilderness that cometh out of the coasts of the Amorites: for Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.

14 Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the LORD, What he did in the Red sea, and in the brooks of Arnon,

15 And at the stream of the brooks that goeth down to the dwelling of Ar, and lieth upon the border of Moab.

16 And from thence they went to Beer: that is the well whereof the LORD spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.

17 Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:

18 The princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah:

When they sinned in searching out the land (Numbers 13-14), God set a penalty upon the children of Israel, that they would wander about in the wilderness for 40 years until all who were of the evil generation above the age of 20 died in the wilderness.  Their children would be brought by God into the promised land because the fathers said God would not be able to do this thing.

Numbers 14

3 And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

22  (God says)  Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;

23 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:

24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.

28 (God says)  Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:

(Record:  examples of faith ... James 1 ... no shadow of turning)

29 Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,

30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

31 But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.

32 But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.

33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.

34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.

35 I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.

36 And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land,

37 Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD.

38 But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still.

39 And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.

(But even though they then mourned, God did not change HIS mind and they wandered 40 years in the wilderness and none of them who spoke against God lived to see the promised land.)

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💥*** Edom refuses children of Israel passage; Aaron dies by the commandment of the Lord.

Numbers 20

And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us:

(Why would Moses call Edom "his brother"?  

Genesis 36:1  Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom.  Jacob and Esau were the children of Isaac.  God said of these twins:  Romans 9  And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of HIM that calleth;) 12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.)

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Numbers 20  (Moses says to Edom)

15 How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers:

16 And when we cried unto the LORD, HE heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border:

17 Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king's high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders.

18 And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword.

19 And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing any thing else, go through on my feet.

20 And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand.

(This was a big sin against the children of Israel and God will repay Edom later for doing this.)

21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.

(Later God will remember this act.)

Ezekiel 25:14  (God says) And I will lay MY vengeance upon Edom by the hand of MY people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to MINE anger and according to MY fury; and they shall know MY vengeance, saith the Lord GOD.

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Aaron dies:

22 And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh, and came unto mount Hor.

23 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying,

24 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 my word at the water of Meribah.

25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor:

26 And strip Aaron of his garments (of priesthood), and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there.

27 And Moses did as the LORD commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.

28 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.

29 And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.

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