Numbers
21 The Last Complaint
The
Lord listened to the voice of Israel and delivered the Canaanites into their
hand. They now must go by Mount Hor by
way of the Red Sea since they were forbidden to go into the land of Edom. The
way is hard and becomes very discouraging to the people. When life is hard we
complain. The Israelites are now
complaining about the manna. I think the Lord is getting tired of their
complaining. They say that their soul
hates this manna. They don’t want it. God is displeased with their complaining
and judges them. He sent “fiery serpents
among the people, and they bit the people; and much of Israel died.” Now the people are ready to admit that they
have sinned against the Lord and against Moses.
They can’t come to God with the promise that from now on they will be
good because they won’t be good. But
they can believe God, and God is going to let them come to Him by faith. They are to look at the brazen serpent that
Moses made of brass. They are to look at
it in faith. Not as an idol but in
obedience and trust in God’s spoken word. We must look to Christ! He has taken
our place on the cross. He didn’t
deserve to die. He did it for us. You
and me. Those who looked at this serpent of brass lived, those who didn’t look,
died.
Now
the Israelites are moving on. They go to the River Arnon, then on to Beer. The
princes and nobles dug a well and now the Israelites are thanking God for the provision
that He made for them in supplying water. After that they ask King Sihon of the
Amorites for permission to pass through this land. Sihon refuses and God gave
Israel the victory of the battle between them. Still the children march
on. They are singing praises to God and
God is giving them victory. God will
help them against Moab too. After that,
they will be entering the promised land.
It
is so much easier to praise God and receive His blessings than it is to
complain and suffer the consequences of our complaining.
Please
read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.
If
you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.
J.
Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.
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