It was just after the time that Miriam and Aaron had died and the people of Israel had suffered some great losses.
They seemed so close; but their circumstances made them feel so far away from the Promised Land.
Now Aaron’s son and Moses were trying to lead them on and help the people to cross over to their nation’s new home.
FIRST VICTORY IN CANAAN
They came to the Negev, where a Canaanite King reigned over a city called Arad which was to the South.
This King saw that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim and he attacked them and even captured some of the people.
At that point Israel stopped in their tracks. They knew their mistake; and they did not move any further without consulting with The Lord. They prayed this prayer: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy their cities.”
God listened to their prayers and granted them an answer to this prayer. They were victorious in the next battle with this same king.
To make it plain that God had won the battle for them and that all victories belong to God and God alone; they completely destroyed the land to the point that no one could inhabit it and then it was left barren and dedicated only to God.
When the process of recovering this land for God’s purposes was finished; they named the place “Hormah” which means destruction.
AN OLDER GENERATION BEGINS TO DIE
There at Hormah many of Israel’s older generation gave their lives. The crowd that was not going to be allowed to enter the land was thinning down a bit; but there were still many of the rebellious generation left in Israel.
Actually, the new generation was also rebellious; and at times they were even worse than their fathers.
A BARGAINING TYPE OF PRAYER
They must have realized their own rebelliousness and sins because of the way they prayed.
Their prayers were more like bargains than worship.
I wonder how many people total (in all of humanity) have prayed such a prayer in their own time of need?
The bargaining prayer always goes like this: If you will __________; then we/I will _______. It is sort of like making a promise or a pact with God that you will deliver something of value if He decides to answer your prayer and help with your needs for the moment.
GOD DOES NOT NEED TO BARGAIN
I’m sure that God finds these prayers laughable. Why would The Great God of Heaven ever need to make a bargain with mankind?
Sometimes God simply let’s us have our way because He grants us mercy and kindness when we are stupid.
As Numbers; Chapter 21 goes on with the story after leaving Hormah; we can see more of how God was looking at the people’s way of thinking. Perhaps God had even decided to give them a taste of their own bargaining prayer in reverse.
Have you ever done this to your own children? You treat them just the way they previously treated you in order to show them how it feels?
Hopefully, they learn from this.
WHY HAVE YOU BROUGHT US HERE TO DIE IN THE WILDERNESS?
As they left Mt. Hor, taking the long way around Edom following the route to the Red Sea, the people began to grow impatient.
When this impatience happened in the past they had complained against Moses and Aaron, which had been interpreted as an indirect complaint toward God.
This time they were even bold enough to include God in their complaints!
They said to Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”
How many times had Moses heard this same complaint?
THE COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT WASN’T OPEN THAT DAY
When God heard these complaints just shortly after He had been so kind and merciful to them and allowed them victory in battle; He sent venomous snakes among them. The snakes bit the people and many of the Israelites died.
I’m supposing that many of those who died were those who had not been granted entry into the Promised Land because of their previous sins of rebellion. By these snakes they were eliminated before reaching the land.
Those who were left alive came to their senses.
You have to wonder how many times this can go on?
They admitted to Moses that they had sinned and that they had spoken against the LORD and Moses. Then they asked Moses to pray for them.
MOSES INTERCEDES FOR THE PEOPLE
So Moses; being Moses began to pray.
God gave him answers and told him to “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.”
Moses did exactly as he was told. The snake was made out of bronze.
Bronze is the metal that symbolizes God’s judgment of sin.
The places where the cleansing was performed and the sacrifices were prepared were outside the Sanctuary of the wilderness tabernacle (similar to the fact that these people were just outside the vicinity of The Promised Land;) and as you came into the court on the outside you would need to pass a bronze laver and a bronze altar.
We have to see the similarity when we think of Moses making this bronze snake and putting it upon a pole.
Everyone who looked at the bronze serpent on the pole after they were bitten lived.
Everyone who washed in the bronze laver and brought a sacrifice to the bronze altar also were forgiven and they lived in spite of their sin.
Those who did not believe or follow the instructions given by God to Moses and did not look at the bronze serpent; died in that place.
In the wilderness tabernacle, those who did not bring sacrifices to the bronze altar for their sins also died in their sins.
We can take this further now; those who look upon the face of Jesus Christ who hung on a cross for their sins and believe upon His name; will live forever. Those who do not believe will die in their sins.
GOD PROVIDES A WAY THROUGH THE PLACES OF GREAT SIN
Just outside of the Promised Land; there was a place of great sin.
A provision was made by God in which the people could be saved from the fiery serpents that were sent to the sinners.
If they were willing to follow God’s commandment and do what God told Moses they should do (look up at the bronze serpent on the pole) then they would live.
All they had to do; even though they had sinned greatly; was follow God’s instructions and they would be saved.
God gave them something bronze to focus upon. Bronze was used in cleansing and judgment, and for getting ready for sacrifices.
GOD’S EXTRAORDINARY LOVE OUT WEIGHS MANKIND’S ORDINARY SINS
This was God allowing His extraordinary love to out weigh mankind’s ability to sin. God wanted every single person to have enough faith to look up and receive the healing that they needed in order to move on to the promises.
Each individual had to make a choice.
Some felt looking at a bronze serpent on a pole was silly, crazy and stupid and they refused. They died.
Others saw that God had made a bargain with them; just as they had bargained with God earlier. They knew in their hearts that neither time required God to be merciful toward them; but He had done so anyway.
These trusted in God’s love and they surrendered their will to that love.
They looked up.
God did the rest.
Those who had faith continued on toward the promises.