July 12, 2019

Please Turn to Page . . .

Numbers 21:1–20

Sarah Jannusch
Friday's Devo

July 12, 2019

Friday's Devo

July 12, 2019

Central Truth

The Lord will always be our deliverer, but we must still be willing to trust His plan and timing in our lives.

Key Verse | Numbers 21:7

And the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people.

Numbers 21:1–20

Arad Destroyed

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.” 1 21:2 That is, set apart (devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction); also verse 3 And the LORD heeded the voice of Israel and gave over the Canaanites, and they devoted them and their cities to destruction. So the name of the place was called Hormah. 2 21:3 Hormah means destruction

The Bronze Serpent

From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze 3 21:9 Or copper serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

The Song of the Well

10 And the people of Israel set out and camped in Oboth. 11 And they set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness that is opposite Moab, toward the sunrise. 12 From there they set out and camped in the Valley of Zered. 13 From there they set out and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites, for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14 Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the LORD,

“Waheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon,
15  and the slope of the valleys
that extends to the seat of Ar,
and leans to the border of Moab.”

16 And from there they continued to Beer; 4 21:16 Beer means well that is the well of which the LORD said to Moses, “Gather the people together, so that I may give them water.” 17 Then Israel sang this song:

“Spring up, O well!—Sing to it!—
18  the well that the princes made,
that the nobles of the people dug,
with the scepter and with their staffs.”

And from the wilderness they went on to Mattanah, 19 and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth to the valley lying in the region of Moab by the top of Pisgah that looks down on the desert. 5 21:20 Or Jeshimon

Footnotes

[1] 21:2 That is, set apart (devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction); also verse 3
[2] 21:3 Hormah means destruction
[3] 21:9 Or copper
[4] 21:16 Beer means well
[5] 21:20 Or Jeshimon

Dive Deeper | Numbers 21:1–20

Have you ever felt like God and you were NOT on the same page? When that has happened, was it because God wasn't on YOUR page? I'm just guessing that I'm not the only one who's ever felt that way—especially since the Israelites grumbled as if God forgot "the plan."

How quickly did the Israelites seem to forget that the Lord delivered them from the Canaanites? (Numbers 21:3) It's actually the very next verses that state, ". . . And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses . . . ." (Numbers 21:4-5). All was going well until there wasn't enough water, and the food wasn't good enough. On a more relatable level, you may be thinking that work is harder than usual, or there is a little bit of conflict with someone in your life, or (insert your struggle here).

Sometimes it gets worse, and you're bitten by a venomous snake, or you lose your job, or you say things you regret, or your car breaks down. BUT when we pray to the Lord and fix our eyes on His ways, He says we will live!

I am so thankful that the Lord has a plan to save us. His plan is infinitely better than mine, and I find rest in the fact that even when I feel like God and I aren't on the same page, His plan means that I will have life with Him forever because I have trusted in His Son. And I have been following Him long enough to know that aligning my plans with His brings me benefits of that life now.

Discussion Questions

1. When have you caught yourself feeling impatient with God? Did you trust He had a plan in your situation?

2. How do you respond when God's plan is different than what you had in mind?

3. Do you believe that the Lord always wants you to have life? Or do you believe He is the cause of your sufferings?