Numbers 21:1-9
Numbers 21:1-9
Israel, currently coming to the end of their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, are faced with a great battle against the Canaanites. They cry out to the LORD and He gives them a great victory.With the battle over, Israel showed great courage and faith. While the battle was a great test of faith, it is after the battle that our greatest test of faith takes place. We must always be just as watchful after the victory as we were before the battle. As Wiersbe said, Courage in the battle must be followed by endurance in the race. Good counsel for all of us in these days.Sadly, Israel failed after the victory. God gave them difficult instruction for their journey. Obedience to this command from God concerning their journey would require great courage and faith. But their response was one of great discouragement which led to complaining against God.God, who is gracious beyond our ability to even begin to comprehend, repsonded to the Israelites by pointing them to Christ. In God's response, we will see one of the greatest pictures of Jesus in the Old Testament. As we go through this study, we are reminded of the fact that we will never fully know Jesus until we see Him through the lens of the Old Testament.
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Chapter 21
1
And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners.
2
And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.
3
And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah.
4
And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
5
And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
6
And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
7
Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
8
And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
9
And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.