It’s a “will worship” morning: Psalm 95:1-7a will serve for Ephesians 5:18-21 Temple worship (1 Corinthians 3:16-17 with 1 Peter 2:5).

My Shepherd met me in His green pastures and laid me down in Numbers 20. The Mind of the Spirit caught the attention of the spirit of my mind in verse 1:

Numbers 20:1 ¶ Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.

The desert was named Zin (meaning to prick) for its rough and prickly crags. The sharp pinnacles were high, the slopes were steep, and the ground was dry in the desert of Zin. A slight variation in the vowel, and the word identifies a sharp-thorned cactus. It was mid-April or early May.

“The people abode in Kadesh” (Numbers 20:1b). The word kadesh’ means sanctuary (See Strong H6946). They came to a rough place in their journeys and found “sanctuary,” and there they settled to rest.

I thought, How gracious is God to lead them to a sanctuary in the desert. And then I looked more closely.

The word kadesh’ is a near cousin of ko’desh — the accent shifts to the last syllable, and the first syllable shifts from ka to ko. Ko’desh means holy, sacred, consecrated, and refers to a saint or a most holy thing: a sanctuary! But Kadesh’ speaks of a quasi-sacred person or place; it’s used to identify a “devotee (by prostitution) to licentious idolatry:—sodomite, unclean” (See Strong H6945-H6946). Woah! What’s this? They settled down in the appearance of holiness, with perversity in their hearts?

Along the still waters, I reflected on how we journey between perversity and purity, between kadesh’ and ko’desh. Paul said, “When I would do good, evil is present with me” (Romans 7:21). The danger is when our journey takes us through troubles and we find ourselves in the desert of Zin, we choose to settle in kadesh’.

The distinction is sometimes subtle, and we think we are in Ko’desh when we are in Kadesh’ instead. Miriam died and was buried there.

Yet the people’s hearts were hard; there was no mourning for Miriam. She was a key figure in the Exodus (Exodus 15:20). The Spirit named her alongside Aaron and Moses as those whom God sent before Israel to lead them in the Exodus (Micah 6:4—“I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam”). Aaron died shortly after, and all the congregation mourned for thirty days (Numbers 20:29). When Moses died, the people wept for him thirty days (Deuteronomy 34:8), but it appears that no one wept for Miriam. Did this offend her brothers Moses and Aaron?

I noticed that the deaths of the three leaders God sent to lead His people from Egypt — Moses, Aaron, and Miriam (Micah 6:4) — are each connected with the entry of God’s people into the wilderness of Zin (Numbers 20:1, 12, 29; Deuteronomy 34:4).

And the Spirit pointed out something that gave me pause and deepened my ponderings. It was here that the people complained again against Moses and Aaron for the lack of water in the land. Moses and Aaron were wroth and went before the Lord to lay their complaint before Him. God instructed them to take the rod of God, go before the people, and “speak ye unto the rock before their eyes: and it shall give forth his water” (Numbers 20:8). But Moses was angry at the congregation, and when he spoke to them, he said, “Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?” Then Moses “lifted up his hand and with his rod he smote the rock twice” (Numbers 20:11). God gave the congregation water, but took Moses and Aaron aside and said “Because ye belived 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” (Numbers 20:12). And God called the water, “the water of Meribah” (see Exodus 17:7). The word meribah means strife, and quarrelling.*

In the valley, kneeling in the shadow of His Cross, I thought about the significance of Moses’ error. Earlier, in Rephidim, the people murmured against Moses because they were thirsty and there was no water in the land where they were; God instructed him to strike the rock in Horeb, and it gave water (Exodus 17:1-6). The people had now come back not to the same place, but to the same spirit of complaining that led to rebelling, and provoked Moses to act angrily against God’s commandment, and instead of speaking to the rock, as he was instructed, he smote it twice. This water is the Holy Ghost, and the Rock is Christ. The “waters” could not be released to flow from our bellies until Christ was glorified (John 7:38-39). This occurred on the Cross—where He was bruised for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:4-5, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed”).

He is not to be smitten again (Hebrews 10:10). Now we must ask Him for the “water” (Luke 11:13).

I wept! Our complaining must grieve Him (Ephesians 4:30-31). It’s a spirit turned rancid in putrid ingratitude that complains rather than humbly petitions our GOD, Who has proved Himself to be stedfast and true. Jerry, don’t settle down in kadesh’. Never let the troubles of life around you lead you into trouble with the One Who can save you from your trouble. When there is no water for your flesh, seek the water from the Rock. And don’t smite Him with complaining, appeal to Him with thanksgiving and praise. If you find yourself in Kadesh’, turn it into ko’desh (Ephesians 5:18-21). Make not the provision of God the “waters of meribah” but seek instead the “waters of Shiloah that go softly” (Isaiah 8:6).

My Shepherd spoke, and I think I noted that tone of pleasure He uses when He perceives in us faith: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

At the table, He anointed my head with His oil and filled my cup with His grace. Goodness and mercy followed us out into the harvest.

Praying for revival! 🙏

Going live asap:

https://rumble.com/v6zoh2u-shepherds-pasture.html

[*This story of the waters of Meribah, the strife of rebellion, follows God’s testimony concerning the “water of separation” (Numbers 19:9, 13, 20-21; it does reappear after the “waters of meribah”—Numbers 31:23). But we will have to come back to that another time.]