Numbers 21 Commentary
Arad is completely destroyed as an answer to Israel’s prayer. How does this prayer stand in the light of Israel’s standing order to destroy Canaanites?
The prayer is positive because it aligns with the LORD’s stated purpose. It’s a prayer that the LORD was always going to answer.
The prayer is negative in the sense that it reflects doubt. The LORD didn’t need incentives from Israel to act on what He purposed long before they even started off from Egypt.
The Book of Numbers gives us a sad feeling because of the high frequency of low moments. Here again, Israel complains about their hardships in the wilderness.
We can see two sets of hardships. Immediately after leaving Egypt, the LORD God subjected Israel to hardships as a test. Will they trust their God? Can they learn to trust the LORD God? Can they know it isn’t some god responsible for their well-being?
Israel contracts another set of hardships, far more frequent than the first, along the way—doubt and faithlessness are responsible.
Today’s chapter’s hardships fall under the second category of hardships. And what a strange occurrence!
The snakes represented the evil that was destroying Israel. It would take the same evil to be lifted up at the cross for mankind to be saved. Indeed, the LORD Jesus became a sin at the cross and carried our punishment. All who look to the cross find Salvation.
They traveled to Moab, passing and stopping at several other points. Verses 14 and 27 give us a picture that the narrator incorporated material from other existing sources of the time.
From this base, Israel would go on to defeat the Amorites and occupy their land. Bashan with its king, Og, was also defeated and the land was occupied by Israel. It looks like a great start!
But the Ammonites were too strong. So even here you can easily tell that the LORD grants victory according to the measure of our faith. Israel half-believed and therefore Israel half-conquered.
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