Nu 21:4 And
they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of
Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses,
Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul
loatheth this light bread.
6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people,
and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We
have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto
the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the
people.
8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery
serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that
is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a
pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld
the serpent of brass, he lived.
Below is a link to a YouTube
interpretation of Michael Card’s thought-provoking song. (I don’t know who put
the pictures to the music, it’s just a YouTube user name, so I can’t give
credit to the person. I’m sorry.)
In verse 5, the people speak against God, [Myhla 'elohiym]. Through
most of Numbers, it is Moses (and Aaron) against whom they speak. As far as I
can tell, this is the first time they bring God into it. This name for God, ‘elohim, is “plural intensive, with
singular meaning” according to the Online Bible definition of Strong’s #0430.
Also
through most of Numbers, it is the LORD, [hwhy Y@hovah] that speaks and deals with
Moses, Aaron and the Israelites.
Of
note, there is a phrase often used in Numbers and elsewhere, “would to God
that....” That particular phrase comes from [awl
luw'], a conditional participle. It means, “Oh
that...!” or “If only...!” It doesn’t actually use a name of God in the phrase,
but it seems a fitting translation in Numbers 14:2 and 20:3.
Nu
14:2
And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and
the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land
of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!
Nu
20:3
And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died
when our brethren died before the LORD!
By
using ‘elohim in verse 5, it seems to
indicate they still lack understanding of the God who delivered them and called
them to Himself. True, ‘elohim
describes some of the qualities of God’s actions and abilities, but it isn’t
until after the snakes do they call Him the LORD [hwhy Y@hovah].
With
each chapter in Numbers, do you keep hoping this will be the last time the Israelites do something,
well, stupid? I keep hoping so, even
though I know it isn’t. I’m not being judgmental; I long to see God’s people “get
it,” whether it was thousands of years ago or today.
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