I live in a retirement community where transitions, especially those relating to illness, injury, and death, are commonplace. Even when a neighbor passes away in his 100th year or her 105th year, their deaths are sad because we miss their presence among us. But death is also a good reminder to use our days here purposefully and lovingly, especially if we’re those who put our hope and trust in Christ. We are to “walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). Israel was meant to do the same but failed repeatedly. Chapter 20 of Numbers begins with the sad death of Miriam, Moses’ sister. Israel mourned in the desert of Zin, where she was buried. Then they grumbled against Moses and Aaron about having no water to drink and about leaving the “good life” they had in Egypt. God appeared to Moses and Aaron when they interceded for Israel. God specifically told them to take Aaron’s rod and “speak” to the rock in the sight of all the people; God would bring water from the rock. But Moses hit the rock in anger two times and called the people rebels before the water came out, and the congregation drank. The Lord was exceedingly displeased with both him and Aaron. They didn’t honor God in the eyes of the people, and for this, they lost the privilege of leading Israel into the promised land. Before the chapter’s ending with Aaron’s death, “the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them” (Numbers 20:12). “Moses [and Aaron] too had been caught up in the people’s sinful mindset…First, there was [Moses’s] speech…he termed the people’ rebels…putting himself in the place of judge to make that declaration though the Lord had not authorized him to do so. The Lord told him to extend his mercy and grace to the people by giving them water in a way that demonstrated unequivocally that the source was God; instead Moses set himself up as their judge…[and] their deliverer. [When] He said, ‘shall we bring water for you out of this rock?’ (v. 10)…Moses presented himself as if he were a pagan magician with the ability to manipulate the gods to do his biding. There is more to Moses’ sin than mere self-exaltation though. In the first encounter with the rock in Exodus 17, it was clear that the rock represented God himself (compare Genesis 49:24; Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 78:35)…In that awesome picture of grace, the Lord was willing to be struck himself instead of his rebellious people, so that they might receive life-giving water. It is one thing to strike God when he instructs you to do so; it is quite another to smite him (twice!) on your own authority. Moses’ act was thus nothing short of a direct assault on God himself…The irony is that in judging the people and seeking to deliver them on their own, Moses and Aaron became exactly what they accused the people of being: rebels against the Lord…In setting themselves forward as the people’s judges and deliverers, Moses and Aaron publically displayed their own failure to believe in and fear the Lord as a holy God…Like the rest of the first generation, Moses and Aaron would die in the desert…[However] the Lord nonetheless granted his rebellious people the flow of water that they needed…The Lord is far more gracious than we believe him to be—he is far more gracious than we deserve.” (1) “Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity. Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry. For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love.” (Psalm 106:43-45) God was unchanged in his grace to bless them even as they gave into sinful grumbling and lustful temptations.
The Healing Serpent—Numbers 21
After mourning Aaron’s death, “When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negeb, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive. And Israel vowed a vow to the Lord and said, ‘If you will indeed give this people into my hand, then I will devote their cities to destruction.’ And the Lord heeded the voice of Israel and gave over the Canaanites, and they devoted them and their cities to destruction.” (Numbers 21:1-3) Yet again, the people complained against God and Moses. This time, God sent fiery serpents among them, and many died. When they confessed their sin, God had Moses make a serpent replica and set it on a pole. Those who looked upon it were healed if bitten; those who didn’t look on it and believe died. “A new day may have dawned, but old habits are not eradicated. The people once again grumble about their food and are punished: this time by poisonous snakes. As an antidote, Moses makes a bronze snake, which cures anyone who looks at it. The Hebrew term translated ‘bronze’ can also mean ‘copper.’ The area through which the Israelites were traveling had copper mines…so it seems likely that copper is meant here. The redness of copper suggested atonement, so symbolically it was well chosen for this occasion.” (2) “In many respects Numbers 20 was the end of the line for the first generation [of Isralites]; it shows us the events of the fortieth year of wilderness wandering, bracketed by the deaths of Miriam and Aaron…Yet in other ways the new generation was not so radically different from their forefathers…Having defeated the Canaanites, the Israelites headed south once again to go around the territory of Edom, back toward the Red Sea..were they still going in circles?…[And] they grumbled against God and Moses, suggesting they had brought them into the wilderness to die there…The aftermath of this grumbling was no different for the new generation than it had been for the old generation…The wages of sin and unbelief continued to be death…[But]…It was not the Lord who had brought them into the wilderness to die, as they alleged. Their death was not due to his power failing to give them that which he had promised. On the contrary, death in the wilderness was the result of their own sin and that of their forefather, Adam. It was their refusal to submit to the Lord that led to bondage to Satan, who is the real hard taskmaster.” (3) Next, Israel journeyed through the wilderness until they came close to the borders of Amor and Moab. When Israel sent messengers to Sihon, King of the Amorites, to ask permission to pass through their land with no harm, Sihon refused. Many nations did not trust the Israelites. In fact, Israel destroyed Sihon and captured the land, settling in the cities of the Amorites and their villages. The same was done to Bashan. Here come the mighty Israelites, finally! Will we fight our urges to grumble and give into impulsive temptations, appropriating God’s blessings in Christ, which he has continually poured out on his chosen people?
Foolish Men—Smart Donkey! Numbers 22-24
“Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel…So Balak the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, sent messengers to Balaam…saying, ‘Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me. Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.'” (Numbers 22:3-6) “The idea of a conventional war against the Israelites seemed to have little prospect of success because of their vast numbers, and the thought of seeking a peaceful settlement with this new political reality apparently didn’t arise. What Balak and the Moabites wanted was a non-conventional war involving a weapon of mass destruction…In the ancient world there was only one such weapon of mass destruction: a curse from the gods that would decisively tip the balance of power against your enemies. It was in search of just such a curse that Balak sought out Balaam, a man with an international reputation for dealing in such weaponry…[But] Balaam was a politician as well as a prophet, a man who made a living from his words. Such people do not always say what they mean or mean what they say…Like all politicians, Balaam was quite capable of playing the ‘God’ card when and how it suited him to do so. He obviously knew who the Lord was and apparently received messages from him, but exactly what his relationship to the Lord was has yet to be made clear.” (4) After the Lord told Balaam to follow his desire for riches from Balak, he brought some humorous drama to the story, allowing his donkey to speak to teach him a lesson. “And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So he struck her again. Then the angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, ‘What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?’ And Balaam said to the donkey, ‘Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you’…Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face…I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me. The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live.’ Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, ‘I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.’ And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, ‘Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you.’ So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.” (22:23-37)
Balaam’s Blesses Israel
“The Lord was angry not simply because Balaam had gone with Balak’s messengers but rather because he…acted as if he were a free agent, able to control his own destiny as well as that of other nations. The Lord therefore determined that it was necessary to teach Balaam a lesson about who was in control of his life, whether he liked it or not…our words and actions are often at odds, like Balaam…the essence of integrity is someone whose words and thoughts and actions are thoroughly integrated: they are all aligned in the same direction.” (5) Balaam had Balak build altars for him to sacrifice oxen and rams. When that failed, they changed locations as if that would change God’s mind. Balaam told Balak that God is not like us humans; He does not change His mind or say and not do something. Balak then asked if Balaam could tone it down or keep it neutral, without blessing or cursing Israel. Balak became very angry when Balaam prophesied by God’s Spirit on him, “How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! Like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the Lord has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters…a Star will come out of Jacob and the Sceptre will rise out of Israel and it will destroy Moab.'” (24:5–6, 17) “Israel did not have to pay Balaam or offer special sacrifices to receive a word of blessing from the Lord through him. On the contrary, the Lord had already freely committed himself in advance to bless Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 12:2-3). The Lord had already told the Aaronic priests to pronounce his blessing regularly on the people, without any fee changing hands (Numbers 6:24-27). Balaam’s words of blessing were simply a reflection of the Lord’s settled attitude toward his people…the Lord’s settled purpose to bless his people is a wonderful assurance. The settled assurance of the Lord’s purpose to bless us in Christ enables us in the midst of life’s chaos to sing, ‘Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, “It is well, it is well with my soul”‘…for Christ has died in our place and is now risen from the dead. If we keep our eyes on that reality, then none of the traumatic rises and falls in our temporal fortunes that are an inevitable part of life in this fallen world can ever completely shake us.” (6) God was unchanged in his grace to bless Israel even as they gave into sinful grumbling and lustful temptations. Just so, Christ will continually pour out his grace and mercy on those who put their trust in him.
Moral Assault on Israel
Having failed to directly attack Israel through a curse, the Moabites and Midianites sought to subvert and assimilate Israel through idolatry and immorality—at Balaam’s instigation (Numbers 31:16). “While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel…those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.” (Numbers 25:1-3) “The wages of sin is death…Why do we need this truth repeated so often and so vividly? The answer is that the doctrine of the judgment of God is one of the fundamental targets of the devil’s assault…in the Garden of Eden when he said to Eve, ‘You will not surely die’ (Genesis 3:4)…he painted sin as a way to life and fulfillment rather than death and destruction…This is always the way it is with Satan’s snares. They seem to offer comfort but in reality deliver emptiness; they seem to offer peace but in reality deliver turmoil; they seem to offer a fuller life but in reality deliver death…[But] If Israel must be righteous and separate from the nations to enjoy the Lord’s settled blessing, can Israel ever be righteous enough to receive it? The answer to that question must be no if we are speaking of historical Israel…[Only] Jesus Christ…is himself the new, true Israel, the perfect people of God. That is why his death could be accepted in our place as a convenantal offering. “The Apostle Paul tells us that Jesus Christ was actually part of this story in Numbers 20: he was the spiritual rock that accompanied his people through the wilderness and from which they drank (1 Corinthians 10:1-4). In Jesus Christ, God himself took the blows that we deserved for our rebellion…When Jesus met with the Jewish leader Nicodemus, he said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). In other words, just as the bronze serpent was a sign calling for faith to which people could look and be delivered from death, so Christ’s crucifixion would have the same effect…It was precisely on the cross that Jesus won his victory over the ancient serpent, Satan…The road through life is long and hard, and our progress is often slow and hard to measure. Sometimes, it seems…as if we are faced once again toward the Red Sea, going backward rather than forward. In those moments, faith remembers that our arrival at the promised destination depends on God’s faithfulness, not ours, and endures the difficulty…The cross is the surety of the eternal rest that awaits us when our traveling and warring days are done.” (7) “So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf.” (Hebrews 6:17-20)
Related Scripture: Genesis 17:8; 22:15-18; 28:14; Exodus 3:2-3; 17:8-16; Numbers 31:16; Deuteronomy 23:3-5; 32:48-52; 2 Samuel 8:2; 2 Kings 18:4; Proverbs 16:9; 19:21; Isaiah 52:113-15; John 3:14-15; Titus 1:1-2; 2 Peter 2:15-16; Revelation 2:14.
Notes:
1. Duguid, Iain M., Numbers—God’s Presence in the Wilderness, Numbers 20, Crossway Books, 2006.
2. English Standard Version Study Bible Notes, Numbers 21, (digital edition), Crossway, 2008.
3. Duguid, Ch. 21, Ibid.
4. Duguid, Numbers 22, Ibid.
5. Duguid, Numbers 23, Ibid.
6. Duguid, Number 23, Ibid.
7. Duguid, Chapters 20-21, Ibid.
November 9, 2023
Divine Wisdom for Daily Living by Joanne Colvin 