Nu 21 part 2 with help from Michael Card

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.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5E8CmqGVVI

         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.

Nu 21 part 1: Destruction, the Soul and Snakes

Numbers 21:1 And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners. 2 And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.

3 And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah.

       King Arad [from an unused root meaning to sequester, or a wild ass] fights Israel and takes prisoners. Israel’s word to “utterly destroy,” charam, is used 52 times in the Bible. It means to destroy completely, dedicate for destruction, consecrate, etc. Think of it as ruining something and preventing anyone from using it again, thus presenting it as a sacrifice to God. There are several other Hebrew words for “destroy.” Charam, however, has this rather specific intent. They charam-ed cities and people groups.

       The LORD responds to Israel and Israel does as they promised. The name Hormah comes from [hmrx Chormah], “devotion.”

       Remember Numbers 14, when the Amalekites and Canaanites soundly whupped the Israelites? They beat them all the way to Hormah. There may be more than one “Hormah,” but for the sake of argument, it is possible that King Arad either knew the story, or was there when it happened. Possibly the same Hormah was rebuilt, later to be destroyed again.

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.

       The Online Bible says there were two Hors. This Hor is the one upon which Aaron died; it is situated on the eastern side of the valley of Arabah, the highest of the whole range of sandstone mountains in Edom.

       The nephesh of the people was [ruq qatsar]-ed. Nephesh occurs 753 times in the Bible. Nephesh, usually translated “soul,” is distinctly different from [xwr ruwach], the word used for “spirit.” If you wish to delve into theology, the difference between nephesh and ruwach might be a nicely cerebral place to start.

       The collective Israelite nephesh was much discouraged because of the [Krd derek]. Perhaps the mountain range was difficult; perhaps they were tired of all that sandstone. From this passage, we can’t infer that the discouragement itself was sin. (I believe it can be argued either way.) What we do know is in verse 7, the people conclude they have sinned in speaking against the LORD and against Moses.

       What made them conclude they had sinned?

       Snakes.