For nearly forty years the Israelites went from one place to an-other in the great wilderness. They did not try again to enter Canaan, nor did they try to go back to Egypt. They waited for the time to come when God would be willing to lead them into the promised land.
During those long years of waiting only a few things happened that we may read about. Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, died at Kadesh-barnea, and was buried there. About this time the wells at Kadesh dried up, and the people and their cattle and sheep could find no water to drink. They began to complain again, and God told Moses to take his rod and go with Aaron and all the people to a great rock not far from the camp. God said that Moses should speak to this rock in the presence of all the people. At Moses’ word, God would cause water to flow out of the rock in a clear stream. From this all the people and all their animals might drink.
Moses and Aaron gathered the people together and went before them out to the great rock. Then, instead of speaking to the rock, as God had said they should, Moses spoke to the people in an angry tone and asked, “Must we bring water to you out of this rock?” Moses did not speak to the rock at all, but struck it with his rod. When no water came out he struck it again, and this time a clear stream: gushed out and flowed across the sand. The people ran quickly to drink from it and to fill their vessels. The cattle and sheep also came to the stream and drank freely of the water God had sent.
God was not pleased with Moses and Aaron when they failed to do just as he had commanded them. Because of their disobedience, God said they should both die before the Israelites crossed over into the promised land.
Moses planned to lead the Israelites into Canaan from another point. “To reach that point, he planned to go through the country of Edom, where the Edomites lived. These people were descendants of Esau, the brother of Israel (Jacob) from whom the Israelites had descended. Both the Edomites and the Israelites were descendants of Abraham and of Isaac, and Moses wished to be friendly with these people of such near kin. He sent a messenger to the king of Edom, asking him to let the Israelites pass through his country. “We will not enter your fields nor your vineyards,” said the messenger, “and we will be careful to pay for the water that we drink from your wells.”
But the king of Edom did not feel friendly toward the Israelites. He was afraid to let so many people pass through his country. He sent word back to Moses, saying, “You must not lead your people through Edom. If you try to pass through my land, I will fight against you with my army and will drive you back again into the wilderness.”
Moses did not want to fight against a people who were so near of kin to the Israelites. He changed his plans and led the people around the country of Edom—south, and east, and north toward the eastern part of Canaan. On this long, tiresome journey across bare wildernesses and rocky plains, the Israelites passed Mount Hor.
While they were camping at Mount Hor, God told Moses to take Aaron and Eleazar, Aaron’s son, up on the mountain, and to take off Aaron’s priestly robes and put them on Eleazar. Aaron was now an old, old man, and the time had come when he must die. And God wanted Eleazar to become high priest after Aaron.
With a sad heart Moses climbed the rocky mountain-side, taking his aged brother and his nephew along. And there he obeyed the words of the Lord, and there Aaron died. Then Moses returned to the camp again, with Eleazar, and all the people saw that Aaron did not come down with them. They saw, too, that Aaron’s priestly robes Were upon his son, and by this they understood that God had chosen Eleazar to be high priest in Aaron’s place. They knew Aaron had died up on the mountain, and they mourned for him for thirty days.