“The people of Israel traveled on and camped at Ovot. From Ovot they traveled and camped at ‘Iyei-Ha‘avarim, in the desert fronting Moab on the east. From there they traveled and camped in Vadi Zered. From there they traveled and camped on the other side of the Arnon, in the desert; this river comes out of the territory of the Emori; for the Arnon is the boundary between Mo’av and the Emori.”-Numbers 21:10-13
In spite of the serpent and pole story only comprising a total of six verses out of all of Numbers Chapter 21, we sure spent a heckuva a lot of time on it, didn’t we?
I think we may have gotten derailed by this event and forgotten what journey Israel was actually taking.
Let me refresh your memory.
Recall that right before the snake-biting incident Israel had recently left Mount Hor to march via the Sea of Suf southward in order to prevent any conflict with the Edomites.
Lest you forgot, let me also remind you that this was very difficult, hot and dry land they were traveling through.
The Israelites were none too happy about it and started grumbling which is what led to being bitten by snakes and the whole serpent and pole incident in the first place.
So from verse 10, the Israelites are back on track again and gaining some serious momentum as they march onward towards their destination.
At this point in Scripture, there is a serious life lesson to be gleaned here that we shouldn’t miss.
Let’s take a momentary pause here to reflect on everything the Israelites have been through thus far on their journey to the Promised Land.
-They had been judged countless times by HASHEM for their sins and many had lost their lives as a result.
-During their journey, they had been attacked by different nations for different reasons. Some nations attacked Israel simply because they felt threatened by this 3-million person mob of desert wanderers. Others attacked Israel simply for the sake of plundering them.
-They were sick and tired of eating MANNA all the time and there was always the constant worry of how to get enough water to drink on a daily basis.
-During the 40 year period, they had experienced all of the challenges of life we all go through such as marriage and divorce, illness and death, bickering and disputes with both family members and neighbors and so on and on.
To put it bluntly, the Israelites were battle-weary and tired.
And the current uncomfortable territory they were traveling through didn’t help things out one bit.
There’s another important thing we need to keep in mind.
The population of Israel had gone through a COMPLETE TURNOVER since the time they had left Egypt 40 years ago.
Or to put it another way, the current population of Israel in no way resembled the original Hebrew slaves who had fled Pharaoh during the Exodus.
All of those who were 20 years old and over had passed away.
Their bodies were now buried in the Sinai desert sand.
Recall this tragedy occurred because the original Israelites who left Egypt had lost faith and refused to go forth and claim their land inheritance because of the negative report of 10 of the 12 scouts.
There is a HUGE spiritual lesson here folks.
It is this.
If you are NOT living for the Lord and walking according to the divine plan He has for your life, you’re already dead.
You may be physically alive and still walking around and breathing but minus faith and following God’s plan for your life, you’re already dead.
So understand that at this point in Scripture, the majority population of Israel was comprised of those who had NEVER lived in Egypt.
Actually, come to think of it, they had never lived in a normal town or village because they had been born out in the wilderness.
They had grown up only knowing the nomadic lifestyle.
Their life perspective and way of thinking was totally different than their parents.
Keep this point in your back pocket as we progress in our study towards the conquest of the Promised Land.
Now the other key takeaway we glean from Israel’s current situation is to NOT forget the big picture and our final destination as travel through this sometimes difficult journey we call life.
As I pointed out above, the Israelites had been through hell and high water to get to this point in their journey.
They had experienced all of the “normal” challenges we all go through as part and parcel of just living.
However, it was only those who kept their faith and focus on the promises of God who not only survived but thrived through all the difficulties that life threw their way.
As it was for them, so it is for us.
Dang, this almost turned into a full-blown sermon, didn’t it?
I think I’ve said enough for today.
I’m done.
Leave a Reply