SET FORWARD. Numbers 21 For many years, the Israelites had been waiting and dying. Finally, the next generation was ready to inherit and possess the Promised Land. The first event after Edom refused to let them cross their territory was that the same people who had defeated them thirty-seven years earlier fought against them again. However, this time Israel had already made their vows and commitments to keep their promises and obligations to the Lord. A new era had begun for the Israelites when the king of Arad came against them. Forty years earlier, Israel had been defeated, leading to years of wilderness wandering until that generation had passed away.
This time, the Lord granted victory to the new generation. The difference was that instead of saying, “We are able,” their vow to the Lord was, “If Thou wilt indeed deliver these people into my hand, then I will destroy their cities.” The same people at the same place who had defeated the first generation were defeated by the second generation of Israelites. The reckless attitude of the first generation stemmed from their lack of faithfulness to God in their spirits, their unwillingness to obey God, and their forgetfulness of God's blessings. Perhaps they had learned the 78th Psalm by then. At least, the next generation experienced their first victory at Hormah.
Recognizing our limitations and powerlessness, and declaring our dependence on the Lord, is the first step toward victory in the Christian life. We cannot, on our own strength or ability, defeat the powers of darkness that oppose us. The Holy Spirit within us, the Father with us, and Jesus Christ leading us as the Mighty Conqueror are all on our side. “If God be for us, who can be against us?”
This beginning of a series of victories should have encouraged them during the long journey around Edom, but instead, they became "much discouraged because of the way." Moses had decided not to go to battle with Edom, and because of that, the Israelites grew impatient with him. Throughout the journey, the cloud of the Lord's presence continued to lead them, but they had become accustomed to God's constant blessings. Because of one victory, they had gained confidence in themselves.
Our expectations are often much different from God's plans. If all we experienced were miraculous victories, we would learn nothing about God's faithfulness. It wouldn't take long before we started to believe we are entitled to an easy road and simple victories through life. We probably learn more about ourselves and God during long journeys through a dry wilderness than in the brief moments of victory. In times of dryness and monotony, we discover who we truly are and what really matters.
Do we ever reach a point where "our soul loathes this light bread" of the Word of God? Do we turn to other sources that seem much more exciting and active? Do we find ourselves spending more time getting our thoughts from men's writings than meditating alone on what God has written? That is when God's people fail and speak against God, and those God has chosen to lead them. When that happens, the consequences are severe.
God supplied the entire nation with abundant, nourishing food six days a week and enough to meet their needs on the seventh day for forty years! They must have overlooked the fact that their victory over Arad was thanks to the Lord doing it for them. Their vow had either been forgotten or ignored because they were ready to rebel again. The long journey around Edom brought the children of Israel to the Gulf of Aqaba, where their complaints and dissatisfaction with God's provision led to a plague of venomous snakes.
One successful venture or spiritual victory does not make the lives of God’s people a guaranteed success story. We need God every day, in every situation, and we are doomed to failure if we take credit for what God does through us. God is not on an ego trip by not allowing people to glory in themselves but by allowing us to give Him all the glory. In each incident of our lives, He is training us as citizens of the kingdom of God to be the kind of people and servants we should be. The divine nature that has been imparted to us by God matures and leads us to the place where we can fulfill what is best for Him, for us, and for all that lies ahead of us in eternity. We are who we are and do what we do by God’s grace alone, not by our accumulated skills or human wisdom.
God had acted on behalf of His people, but now they were again tempted by the world, the source of their dissatisfaction—the devil—and their own discontented nature—the flesh. When these three enemies of God's people unite, there is great loss and serious consequences that lead to death. The awakening of conscience and the confession of sin open the way for God to act in mercy and grace.
This time, the bitter complaint about the manna was even more egregious than their previous complaints. In their contempt for the life-sustaining food God had provided them for forty years, they were spurning God. He was the one who supplied free food six days a week, which was enough on the sixth day to cover their needs for the Sabbath. To despise God's provisions is to despise the God who gave them. That is rejecting God's grace.
We must remember that everything we are and have comes from God's gracious hand. “In Him, we live and move and have our being.” We are to “do all things without murmurings and disputing that [we] may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.” Those who watch and listen to us should see evidence of the Lord's glory.
Rejecting God’s grace and provision to meet our needs is more serious than we often realize. Israel rejected God’s gracious provision, and many Israelites died from the venom of the snakes that came among them. It was a hopeful sign of genuine repentance when the people came to Moses with full admission of guilt. “We have sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you.” Specific confession of sin is heard and responded to by God, and He provides a way of deliverance.
In mercy, God instructed Moses to make a serpent of brass and place it on a pole so it could be seen by all who would obey the word of grace - "Look and be healed." The metal form of a serpent was not a healing potion. Healing came by obeying the word of the Lord and "by grace, ye are saved, through faith." That is still the way the sin-sick soul is healed today. The murmuring led to the bite of the serpents. Confession, "We have sinned for we have spoken against the Lord," led to God's revealed grace.
Repentance toward God is essential when someone is aware of and admits their sin. Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ is necessary for salvation and deliverance from the power and consequences of sin against God. God provided a way of salvation by having Moses create that bronze serpent and place it where it could be easily seen. Looking at the bronze serpent was the act of faith in the Lord's word. The act of faith in the Lord, not the serpent, was what made their deliverance from the effects of sin personal and real.
The Lord Jesus Christ, when He was here, used this same incident to illustrate the new birth in John 3:14-15. When people admit their guilt and inability to save themselves from sin and its consequences, they are to look by faith to Christ on the cross. The sacrifice He made was evidence of God's love, demonstrated when "Christ died for us." The cross itself doesn't save a soul; it is the Savior who saves us when we look to Him by faith and accept Him. What He has done for us is what saves us by the grace of God. New life and peace come through a look at Jesus by each individual. Everyone has the privilege to look and live.
Many Israelites died because of snake venom, but many survived because they looked at the brazen serpent. For some reason, the Israelites kept the metal image of a serpent, and it became a stumbling block for them in later years. They even used it as an object of worship when Israel turned to paganism. During the revival under King Hezekiah, it was finally destroyed.
Strangely, the cross has been duplicated in many forms, and people venerate the symbol of Christ's death for sin. The Lamb of God, who took away the world's sin, is how life is given to people today. Yet most overlook the work the Lord Jesus Christ achieved through His death. He died so that we might live. When we look to Him in faith, "Look and live" becomes a reality. The new birth begins a new life. This new life is marked by faithful living for God during difficult times and victories.
The Israelites moved east of Edom toward Moab, where Lot's descendants lived. The Moabites and Ammonites, though descendants of Abraham's nephew, became enemies of Abraham's descendants. Moab had fertile fields and high hills, including Mount Nebo, where Moses saw the land from the highest peak. The Book of Wars recorded battles and victories of Israel through songs and poems, celebrating God's help. Remembering God's ways and victories remains important in the lives of God's people.
Looking back over the history of an assembly benefits those who have recently joined. Reflecting on a lifetime of living by faith can also benefit our children and grandchildren. Small events in life, like digging a well and finding water, were significant to the Israelites. They even composed a song about it. We never know what might inspire one of our descendants and be used by God to bring them to faith or strengthen their trust in Him. The gift of water from a well would be highly valued in a dry wilderness. God's work with us despite the pressures of an ungodly world can be a blessing remembered for a long time.
The Amorites had taken over the kingdom of Moab before the Israelites arrived. Perhaps Sihon, the king, thought he could intimidate the Israelites or defeat them in battle, but by this time, the people of God had begun to realize that God was for them and with them. For any of us to believe we are strong enough on our own to defeat the enemies opposing the kingdom of God is not only foolish but also arrogant. One wrote, "He that is down, need fear no fall. He that is low no pride. He that is humble shall ever have God to be his guide."
Not only were the Amorites defeated and their land taken over by the children of Israel, but Og, king of Bashan and his kingdom, were also conquered. The territory claimed east of the Jordan River extended north to the east side of the Sea of Galilee. Although Og was a giant of a man and the forces against Israel were formidable, God working for His people is greater than anything or anyone who opposes divine purposes. We may not always understand why difficult things happen to us, and we may live for years in a dry wilderness. Yet, God is able to change everything in a very short time. When all seems lost, God can bring a surprising victory. Even though opposition to our faith appears strong, our faith—though weak—trusts in the One who can do what we cannot and bring victory out of apparent defeat.
It was the same place with the same people, but a new generation. The first generation was defeated here. The second generation learned a valuable lesson when they called on God for help. The enemy was defeated, and they finally achieved their first victory. However, just after this victory, on their journey home, they voiced their discontent with manna that tasted like honey and was full of life and nourishment. Now they said they “loathed this light bread” and miracle water. The second generation fails the test of faith, and many die.
The path is clear, but it isn’t easy. Opposition looms ahead, and the tension rises. Armies come against them, and we wonder if the second generation will rise to meet the challenge. They turn north, and sure enough, God is with them. One city after another falls, and progress continues. The ancient brother-enemy is bypassed and left to struggle, cut off on all sides. The second generation advances—organized and in formation.
We have not gone through 400 years of slavery in Egypt. We have not experienced crossing the Red Sea or being at Mt. Sinai during a personal visit from God, but the “second generation” or whichever generation we are has a specific task to do for God. The path may seem tough as we press on to confront the enemy, and the work may feel difficult and unproductive in many areas. The journey might be tense and hard when we are misunderstood, “But the toils of the road will seem nothing when we get to the end of the way.”