'For what purpose would God perform a miracle? To accomplish some particular design upon living beings? He would, then, in reality, be supposed to say—I have not been able to effect, by my construction of the universe, by my divine decrees, by my eternal laws, a particular object. I am now going to change my eternal ideas and immutable laws, to endeavour to accomplish what I have not been able to do by means of them. This would be an avowal of his weakness, not of his power; it would appear in such a being an inconceivable contradiction. Accordingly, therefore, to dare to ascribe miracles to God, is, if man can in reality insult God, actually offering him that insult. It is saying to him, You are a weak and inconsistent being. It is therefore absurd to believe in miracles; it is, in fact, dishonouring the divinity.'
Verses 23 to 29. Aaron's death is rather curiously related; it was certainly a sudden death, and the account almost conveys the idea that Moses and Eleazer killed Aaron in the mount.
Chapter xxi., vv. 1 to 3, have been before noticed; in addition it is only necessary to observe, that the Israelites could scarcely have destroyed the cities of the Canaanites, until they had entered the land of Canaan, into which it is alleged they did not go in the lifetime of Moses.
Verses 8 and 9. See Exodus, chap, xx., v. 4. Dr. Giles observes:—
'The reason why God commanded Moses to adopt this course has not been recorded; but the fact would probably be susceptible of a satisfactory explanation, if we were acquainted more fully with the serpent-worship which existed among the ancient people of Egypt. In the absence of certain information, it may be supposed that the Israelites had been taught to hold serpents in great respect whilst they were in Egypt, and that Moses availed himself of their superstition to bend them the better to his will.'
In our version, verse 8, Moses is told to make a 'fiery serpent:' in the Douay, he is told to make a 'brazen serpent'—fiery serpents are very rare animals.
Verse 14. 'The Book of the wars of the Lord.' What book is this? Who was the author of it? What has become of it? Was it inspired? Was it more ancient than the Pentateuch? In answer to all these questions, we can say but little, except this, that the book referred to is one of several books quoted from in our Bible, and now lost; the authorship is unknown; it must have been a well-known book at the time Numbers was written, and, consequently, more ancient than Numbers. There are many other books quoted from, which are also lost.
The following is from the 'Hebrew Records,' in reference to this subject:—
'In St. Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews, ix., 19, we read thus:—
'"For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people, according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book and all the people."