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Deuteronomy

Priests Of Israel.
In the time from the Exodus to the building of Solomon's temple there were about 14 high priests. They lived about 30 to 40 years. Of those, there were 3 memorable ones.

Moses
Israel provoked God with their complaining and threatened to stone Moses constantly.

• Rephidim And Massah (Water). We want water now!
  Complaints. And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
  Strike The Rock. And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
  And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not? (Exodus 17: 1-7)
  
  Amalek came to fight against Israel.
  Moses, Aaron and Hur were on top of the hill. They were winning as long as Moses' hands were lifted up. So Aaron and Hur held up his hands while Joshua fought.

  Camp Sites in the Wilderness (Numbers 33)
  Camp Site		Comment	Wrath
  1	Rephidim	No water to drink	1	Thirst
  	Massah	Moses strikes rock		Amalek
  2	Wilderness of Sinai	Ten Commandments. Worshipped a Calf	2	Eat the gold calf
  3	Taberah	Fire from God	3	Heat
  4	Kibroth-Hattaavah	Ate quail meat.	4	Plague
  5	Kadesh-Barnea (Wilderness of Zin) (Meribah)	They rebelled. Moses sins. Strikes rock twice. Water from the rock.	5	Exile

  
  Amalek. Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
  Choose An Army. And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
  Lift Up My Hands. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
  Winning. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
  Remember Amalek. And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: For he said, Because the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation. (Exodus 17: 8-16)
• Taberah. They complained about the food.
  Complaints! And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.
  Fire. And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the Lord, the fire was quenched.
  And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the Lord burnt among them. (Numbers 11: 1-3)
• Kibroth-Hattaavah (Quail Meat). They complained about the manna and demanded meat.
  Mixed Multitude. And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes. (Numbers 11: 4-6)
  • Get Ready. I have something for you!
    Meat Tomorrow. And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;
    You Will Be Sorry. But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt? And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month. Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them? (Numbers 11: 18-22)
    
    So God sent quails from on the east and they gathered a lot - 2 cubits high a days journey all around.
    Wrath Of God. And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague. And he called the name of that place Kibrothhattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted. (Numbers 11: 33-34)
  • Meribah. The people were thirsty with Moses and were angry at him.
    Against Moses. 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. And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
    And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! And why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there? And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink. (Numbers 20: 1-5)
    
    Then moses appealed to the Lord.
    Speak To The Rock. Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him.
    Moses Struck The Rock Twice. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. (Numbers 20: 8-11)
    He should have spoken to the rock.
    It was a type of Christ. He would be struck only once and after that we would speak to Him in prayer.
    
    Barred From The Promised Land. And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, 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. This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the Lord, and he was sanctified in them. (Numbers 20: 12-13)
• The Death Of Moses. So Moses died on Mount Nebo.
  On Mount Nebo. And the Lord spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying, Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession: And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people:
  He Tresspasses. Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of MeribahKadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel. Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel. (Deuteronomy 32: 48-52)
  God had to make Moses publically die and not enter the Promised Land.
  However, after three days God raised him up and took him to heaven because this righteous man had been provoked. He is a type of all who will be resurrected to see God.
  Elijah is a type of these who would see God without dying.

Aaron
Moses was up in the mountain for 40 days when the people rebelled and God told him to go down because the people had broken the covenant that they just agreed to.
. And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. (Exodus 31: 18)

So after only 40 days they gave up, saying that they did not know where Moses was.
Make Us A God. And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. (Exodus 32: 1)

• The Golden Calf. While Moses was delayed on Mount Sinai, the people asked Aaron to make a golden calf.
  This is utter nonsense. God was visibly on the mountain and asked them to come up.
  However they said that he is too scary, let Moses go up for us. So this farce of saying that they did not know what happened to him is an excuse. The mixed multitude wanted to worship idols and Aaron was too weak.
  • Let's Party! So Aaron made a golden calf from their jewelry and declared a feast unto the Lord.
    A Hand-Made God. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
    They Played. And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. (Exodus 32: 3-4, 6)
  • Drink Your Gods. Moses and Joshua came to see it and he threw the 10 commandments on the ground and broke it.
    Broken Covenant. And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.
    Drink It. And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.
    Did They Threaten You. And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them? (Exodus 32: 19-21)
    He ground the idol to a powder and made them drink it.
  • Aaron's Pitiful Excuse. Aaron was a disgraceful leader until the day he died.
    Don't Be Angry. And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
    The Calf Magically Appeared In The Fire. And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf. And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:) (Exodus 32: 22-25)
  • Death For Idolatry. They killed 3,000 of those who rebelled.
    The Levites On The Lord's Side. Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.
    And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. (Exodus 32: 26-28)
• Rod Budded. The men complained that they should be high priests. So God told Moses to let every man take a rod, write their names on it and place them in the tabernacle. and the one who He chose will be high priest in the morning.
  The Chosen One. And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds. (Numbers 17: 8)
• Miriam And The Plagues. Miriam and Aaron complained against Moses, saying that God can speak to them too. Furthermore, they complained that his wife was an Egyptian woman (dark skinned).
  God was angry told all three to come out.
  Every prophet he has called, He has spoken to them in visions and dreams, but he spoke face-to-face with Moses. When He left in the cloud, Miriam was covered with leprosy. Aaron was also guilty but he was the high priest.
  Leprosy. And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. br>Heal Her. And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb. And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee.
  Seven Days Of Shame. And the Lord said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again. And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again. (Numbers 12: 10-14)
  She was shut out the camp for seven days.
• Strange Fire. Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took some strange fire and burned it before God. Fire came out and destroyed them. They had kindled a fire which was not given by God.
  This was not God's fire. There was a fire started by God which burned continually on the altar.
  So Aaron and his remaining sons were not to mourn or show signs of mourning. Let the children of Israel mourn for them.
  Anointed. And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the Lord hath kindled.
  Stay In The Camp. And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses. (Leviticus 10: 6-7)
• Cozbi (Numbers 25). The Moabites and Midianites had enticed Israel to sin. One man named Zimri blatantly took Cozbi in his tent in front of the people.
  Idolatry. And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. 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. (Numbers 1-2, 6)
  Killed The Two. 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; 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. And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.
  Covenant Of Peace. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 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. Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: (Numbers 25: 7-12)
  Phineas earned himself the right to be the high priest,
• Death Of Aaron. Right after Meribah, when Moses sinned by striking the rock Aaron died before entering the Promised Land.
  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. 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 be gathered unto his people, and shall die there. And Moses did as the Lord commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 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, even all the house of Israel. (Numbers 20: 24-29)

Samuel
Eli was the high priest when Hannah came into the temple. He thought that she was drunk. In her distress she prayed to God for a child, because she was barren and her husband's other wife, her rival, was mocking her.

• Youth. The following year, she gave birth to a son and promised God that she would dedicate him to God and sent him to live with Eli.
  
  Eli's sons were a disgrace to the priesthood and Eli would not discipline them. So God chose another priest.
  One night he was sleeping and he thought he heard Eli's voice calling, but Eli had not called him. He heard the voice three times, so Eli perceived that it was God. So he told him to reply "Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth".
• Philistines Captured The Ark. Ichabod! The glory of God had departed for it was captured in battle by the Philistines.
  • The Ark In Battle. They took the ark for good luck.
    Not Winning. And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to day before the Philistines?
    A Bad Idea. Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
    A Great Shout. And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. (1 Samuel 4: 3-5)
  • God Submitted To The Philistines. God gave Himself up to the Philistines. Hophni and Phinehas were killed. Eli fell and broke his neck and died.
    Punishment. And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain. His wife was pregnant and she named the boy Ichabod because the glory of God had left and her husband and father-in-law was dead.
    Eli Died. And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.
    Ichabod. And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her. And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it. And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken. (1 Samuel 4: 11, 18-22)
  • God In The Camp Of The Philistines. So they took the ark and placed it with Dagon. When they came back the next morning Dagon was lying prostrate before YHWH. So they set him upright.
    He can't hear or walk or get up off the floor! What sort of cheap excuse for a god is this?
    The next morning Dagon was again on the floor. This time his head and hands were cut off.
    The people were struck with plagues and were afraid of it and eventually called the Israelites to come and take it.
    The House Of Dagon. And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod. When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.
    A Broken Baal Bowing To YHWH. And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him. Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day. (1 Samuel 5: 1-5)
• We Want A King. Samuel's son also corrupted the priesthood. So they demanded a king.
  Corrupt. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
  Give Us A King. Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. (1 Samuel 8: 2-7)
  
  Samuel warned them how their kings would treat them.
  Warning. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked of him a king.
  Take Your Children As Slaves. And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
  Cooks And Bakers. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
  Best Property For His Servants. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
  10% (Tithe) For His Servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.
  His Slaves. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. (1 Samuel 8: 2-7, 8-18, 19-22)
  
  However, the people refused to listen and insisted on getting a king like all the other nations.
  You Will Be Sorry. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day.
  Nay! We Want A King. Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city. (1 Samuel 8: 2-7, 8-18, 19-22)
• Anointed Saul As King. He choose Saul as king from the tribe of Benjamin, but he was rejected for disobedience. He sought the advice from a witch, offered a sacrifice himself and did not obey God but allowed the people to keep the spoils from anationthat was to be wiped out and brought back his king.
  Head And Shoulders. Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
  Handsome. And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. (1 Samuel 9: 1-2)
  
  Saul died and his head was cut off.
  Death Of Saul. And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchishua, Saul's sons. And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers. Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.
  So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.
  And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa. And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people. And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan.
  Brave Men. All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. (1 Samuel 31: 2-5, 6, 8-10, 12)
• Anointed David As King. He anointed David as king and David who went on to defeat the giant Goliath.
• The Last Judge. Samuel had the unique privilege of being both a priest and judge, but God was their leader.
  So at the end the record says the following.
  Lawless. In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 21: 25)