Reflections on Numbers 21

Numbers 21 (Contemporary English Version)

1. The Canaanite king of Arad lived in the Southern Desert of Canaan, and when he heard that the Israelites were on their way to the village of Atharim, he attacked and took some of them hostage.
   
2. The Israelites prayed, "Our LORD, if you will help us defeat these Canaanites, we will completely destroy their towns and everything in them, to show that they belong to you."
   
3. The LORD answered their prayer and helped them wipe out the Canaanite army and completely destroy their towns. That's why one of the towns is named Hormah, which means "Destroyed Place."
   
4. The Israelites had to go around the territory of Edom, so when they left Mount Hor, they headed south toward the Red Sea. But along the way, the people became so impatient
   
5. that they complained against God and said to Moses, "Did you bring us out of Egypt, just to let us die in the desert? There's no water out here, and we can't stand this awful food!"
   
6. Then the LORD sent poisonous snakes that bit and killed many of them.
   
7. Some of the people went to Moses and admitted, "It was wrong of us to insult you and the LORD. Now please ask him to make these snakes go away." Moses prayed,
   
8. and the LORD answered, "Make a snake out of bronze and place it on top of a pole. Anyone who gets bitten can look at the snake and won't die."
   
9. Moses obeyed the LORD. And all of those who looked at the bronze snake lived, even though they had been bitten by the poisonous snakes.
   
10. As the Israelites continued their journey to Canaan, they camped at Oboth,
    
11. then at Iye-Abarim in the desert east of Moab,
    
12. and then in the Zered Gorge.
    
13. After that, they crossed the Arnon River gorge and camped in the Moabite desert bordering Amorite territory. The Arnon was the border between the Moabites and the Amorites.
    
14. A song in The Book of the LORD's Battles mentions the town of Waheb with its creeks in the territory of Suphah. It also mentions the Arnon River,
    
15. with its valleys that lie alongside the Moabite border and extend to the town of Ar.
    
16. From the Arnon, the Israelites went to the well near the town of Beer, where the LORD had said to Moses, "Call the people together, and I will give them water to drink."
    
17. That's also the same well the Israelites sang about in this song: Let's celebrate! The well has given us water.
    
18. With their royal scepters, our leaders pointed out where to dig the well. The Israelites left the desert and camped near the town of Mattanah,
    
19. then at Nahaliel, and then at Bamoth.
    
20. Finally, they reached Moabite territory, where they camped near Mount Pisgah in a valley overlooking the desert north of the Dead Sea.
    
21. The Israelites sent this message to King Sihon of the Amorites:
    
22. Please let us pass through your territory. We promise to stay away from your fields and vineyards, and we won't drink any water from your wells. As long as we're in your land, we won't get off the main road.
    
23. But Sihon refused to let Israel travel through his land. Instead, he called together his entire army and marched into the desert to attack Israel near the town of Jahaz.
    
24. Israel defeated them and took over the Amorite territory from the Arnon River gorge in the south to the Jabbok River gorge in the north. Beyond the Jabbok was the territory of the Ammonites, who were much stronger than Israel.
    
25. The Israelites settled in the Amorite towns, including the capital city of Heshbon with its surrounding villages.
    
26. King Sihon had ruled from Heshbon, after defeating the Moabites and taking over their land north of the Arnon River gorge.
    
27. That's why the Amorites had written this poem about Heshbon: Come and rebuild Heshbon, King Sihon's capital city!
    
28. His armies marched out like fiery flames, burning down the town of Ar and destroying the hills along the Arnon River.
    
29. You Moabites are done for! Your god Chemosh deserted your people, they were captured, taken away by King Sihon the Amorite.
    
30. We completely defeated Moab. The towns of Heshbon and Dibon, of Nophah and Medeba are ruined and gone.
    
31. After the Israelites had settled in the Amorite territory,
    
32. Moses sent some men to explore the town of Jazer. Later, the Israelites captured the villages surrounding it and forced out the Amorites who lived there.
    
33. The Israelites headed toward the region of Bashan, where King Og ruled, and he led his entire army to Edrei to meet Israel in battle.
    
34. The LORD said to Moses, "Don't be afraid of Og. I will help you defeat him and his army, just as you did King Sihon who ruled in Heshbon. Og's territory will be yours."
    
35. So the Israelites wiped out Og, his family, and his entire army--there were no survivors. Then Israel took over the land of Bashan.
    
    

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    To this point in Israel's journey from Egypt to Canaan they had not encountered any skirmishes with other peoples with one exception. When Israel first arrived at the southern border of Canaan they sent scouts into Canaan to assess it against their ability to enter and conquer the people who lived there. When the scouts brought back a negative report and the Israelites failed to trust the Lord to enable them to defeat the Canaanites, the Lord sentenced them to wander in the desert until the adults had died and only their children would enter the new land. Realizing their mistake, the Israelites determined to enter Canaan, even though God had just told them they would not, and were quickly attacked by the Amalekites who ran them back out of the country.
    
    By chapter 21 the Israelites had journeyed around to the eastern side of Canaan and the nations located in their region had become nervous about this large number of people traveling near them and what their motives might be. So they were attacked by the king of Arad. Initially this king overpowered the Israelites and took some captives. But Moses asked God for victory and He gave it to them. Their next military skirmish came when they arrived at the border of Moab. Though they asked permission of the Amorite king, who had control of Moab, to pass through the country, the king not only refused passage through the land but also attacked them.  Israel defeated this king and his army and took possession of the cities bordering Moab.
    
    Israel's first military encounters, therefore, were thrust upon them. They had not demonstrated a faith sufficient to take the initiative and trust that God would give them victory. Instead, they found themselves on the defensive and, in the process, they found God to be trustworthy. Bolstered by these initial victories, Israel took her first offensive action against Jazer, first sending spies to check it out, and then attacking and capturing its villages. Soon afterward, Israel was again attack, this time by Og king of Bashan, and was again victorious.
    
    God was preparing Israel to enter the new land. Though He had to thrust Israel into these skirmishes, God allowed her to experience victory and with it to experience His power to give them victory. This is so often our own experience. We fear to boldly take on what God gives us to do. But then He thrusts us into a situation that forces us to "sink or swim," so to speak, and we experience His deliverance and gain the courage we need to do what He has given us to do.
    
    One other event in this chapter that should not be overlooked. It is the account in verses 4-9 of lifting up the bronze serpent in the camp of the Israelites to which Jesus referred. After the Israelite's first victory over the king of Arad, they continued their journey around the land of Edom and "became impatient because of the journey," and they spoke against God and Moses. Because of this the Lord sent poisonous snakes among them and many people were killed. As a provision of deliverance, God told Moses to make a bronze serpent and mount it on a pole in the camp. Anyone who had been bitten could look up at the serpent and would recover from their snake bite. Jesus used this event to illustrate the purpose of His death on the cross: "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life." (John 3:14)