Numbers 20:14-21:9

Numbers 20:14-21:9

To add to the troubles of Israel, they next faced difficulty in reaching the Promised Land. They wanted to travel through Edom, which would have been a quicker route up the east side of the land, but the king of Edom would not allow it. Whether this was strictly the king of Edom’s idea or God’s judgment on Israel, it is not clear, but it really does not matter. There were still many within Israel (including Moses and Aaron) who had not yet died. They would not enter the land until that happened. So they took another road, on the east side of Edom and continued on their journey.

When they came to Mount Hor, they faced yet another tragedy. Remember that Numbers 20 began with a death (the death of Miriam). It now ends with a death, the death of Aaron. God had basically stripped him of all of his duties as high priest over Israel. He was the one that was the mediator between God and the people, and due to his lack of trust in God, God would no longer allow him to fill that role. So He gathered all of Israel together, and Aaron died. As a result, he passed on his duties to his son, Eleazar. Eleazar became the new high priest. Once more we see that God keeps His promises and that there are consequences for our sins. But in the same way, God had also promised that the people would one day enter the land. So in the midst of this earthly tragedy, God was also preparing the people for entrance into the land. Eleazar was not part of the older generation. He was still promised entrance into the land, and God had now established His high priest that would enter the Promised Land. So although it is sad to see Aaron die, knowing that it was his own disobedience that led to his death, it is also exciting to know that God always has a plan. He did not let Aaron’s mistake mess up His plans for Israel, and He set up a new high priest to fill Aaron’s role.

As they continued on their journey, they came to Arad, which was being ruled by a Canaanite. He took some of the Israelites captive, but they cried out to God for help. They recognized God’s power, the first time in quite a while, and knew that they could depend on Him for help. This story stands in contrast to the previous chapter when they questioned God’s ability to provide for their basic needs (needing water). Even though they knew that they would never see the land, it does appear as if some were beginning to understand how they should act. They began to realize what it meant to trust in God, and in this particular instance, they demonstrated their trust in Him.

Side note: This is all happening on the west side of Edom, not the east side as mentioned previously. They are now headed south toward the Red Sea, so the directions mentioned above are inaccurate. Since they could not pass directly through Edom, they are traveling south to go around and then head back north.

Now back to the story, after finally demonstrating faith in God, the people fall again. Due to the fact that they were having to go around Edom (which was really out of their way), they began to grow impatient and once again questioned both Moses and God on why they left Egypt in the first place. Now you would think that after they had already done this once where God had taken away their privilege of entering the Promised Land, they would not do it again. So this time God began killing them off, which He had already promised to do. He sent a judgment of snakes upon them, and many of them died due to the snake bites. This caught the attention of several of the Israelites, and they began begging for relief. So they asked Moses to ask God for help. Moses prayed to God for some relief, and God gave it to them, the Bronze Serpent. Anytime an Israelite was bitten, all they had to do was look up at the Bronze Serpent to receive relief. God was teaching them faith through this exercise.

The story of the Bronze Serpent would seem too good to be true in today’s culture. If someone told us to look at an object for healing, we would think that that person is crazy. We would have a hard time believing that healing could really be that simple. We would try to complicate the matter, finding some other avenue of relief, whether that be medicine or therapy or something else. But God made it simple for Israel, giving them a simple command that would demonstrate their trust in Him. This is why so many find it hard to believe that simple belief in Jesus provides salvation. Jesus compared Himself to the bronze serpent, pointing to His death and how it would bring spiritual healing to us. Many times people feel that there must be more to it, that they must earn that gift somehow. But once again, God made it simple, all it takes is faith. Now granted, that faith will be demonstrated through obedience for the rest of our lives, but all it takes is faith in God.

Matt Brewer