Law – Numbers 21-24

God had made many promises to His children and there was none that He did not fulfill. In today’s reading, we will see how God kept and fulfilled His promises to His children then and even now. Let’s read on.

Bible Passage: Numbers 21 to 24

Promise of Life through the Bronze Serpent

God kept His promises all along and He gave Israel the victory over the Canaanites at Hormah, but soon afterwards, another round of complaints. This time God sent fiery serpents to punish them, and something strange and unique, but important happened. God commanded Moses to make a bronze serpent to be hung on a pole, so that whoever was bitten by the fiery snakes could be healed just by looking at the bronze serpent.

I believe all of us know that the bronze serpent was a prefiguration of the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus, as in John 3: 14 – 15, Jesus had explained the mystery of the Bronze Serpent to His disciples and us.

Like the ashes of the red heifer could purify the people, the bronze serpent could heal the people from the deadly wounds of the snake bites. These were promises made by God to His children that He would never leave them to die in their sins but paving a way for them to come to Him holy.

Previously when I read of this incident of the Bronze Serpent, a question crept into my mind, and that was “Why did God command something which would eventually cause the Israelites to fall into idolatry (ref. 2Kings 18: 4)?”

I think there are several points to take note regarding the erecting of the bronze serpent.

1. It was not an idol or image for the people to worship. God, in the 10 Commandments had already warned and made it very clear to the people NOT TO make any images TO BOW DOWN TO THEM NOR SERVE THEM (ref. Exodus 20: 5). So the bronze serpent was only to be looked at so that the snake bitten people could be healed.
2. It served as a reminder that God can destroy and He can build up, for the people had been blinded by the harsh conditions of the wilderness to see the Sovereignty of God. God did not leave them but had been protecting and providing them with abundance in the wilderness day and night throughout their whole journey.
3. God had His way of revealing His salvation plan to the people of the world through the commandments recorded in the history of the nation of Israel, though some of His ways may not be easily understood with a human perspective.

The word of God indeed gives eternal life to the ones who obediently abide by it. God had given His promises and His grace, now the ball is in the court of man, to receive His grace or not, or sometimes going to the extant of changing God’s grace to suit their own desires and folly, it is all up to the free will of man.

God must have known that the people of Israel would eventually idolize the bronze serpent, but God still went on to command it to be done, for that was crucial for the healing of the people from the deadly bites. Likewise, God also knew that the act of crucifixion would be idolized, literally made into images to be worshipped by people when corruption had totally eaten up the truth in the Church, God still went on with His painful death on the cross, because He knew that was vital and He wants us to give us eternal life through His death.

Promise of Blessings Until We See The True Promised Land

From defeating King Sihon to the failure of cursing the Israelites by Balak, I can see again the promise kept faithfully by God.

and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of

the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the

Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”‘

Ex. 3:17

No one could stand in God’s way in this promise. God fought many wars for the Israelites, as in these wars, God was always at the forefront of the battle against the enemy.

The whole event of how Balak wanted to curse and bring harm to the Israelites was indeed very interesting. For within this event, a donkey, lowly and often despised as an animal of labour, spoke up. She poured out her thoughts and grievances to her master whom she had faithfully served.

It is really an irony that we humans who are supposed to be with intelligence, but often failed to be grateful and thankful to the One who sustains us with love. Let us ponder over how do we relate to God and to the people around us, are we dealing truthfully with God and with our fellow brethren?

Balak went all out to make sure the people of Israel were cursed, but when we visualize the scene from Balak’s perspective, what do you feel?

So it was, the next day, that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to the high

places of Baal, that from there he might observe the extent of the people.

Num. 22:41

I feel that the people of God in such multitude, though they might not know, were actually standing as one on the promises of God. For through the mouth of Balaam, God told Balak that no one can curse whomever God had not cursed. There is one phrase that says it all which we can observe through the history of the Israelites, and even right up till today, God has not forgotten His promises to her.

“Blessed is he who blesses you,

And cursed is he who curses you.”

Num. 24:9

Today as we read the situations in the Middle East, the countries surrounding Israel have been vying for the land, and wanting to wipe out the nation of Israel, have they any success so far? The answer is a clear and sure “No”.

This is how God treats His covenantal nation, and all the more, we who are baptized into His Name also inherit this promise, and many more promises.

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Gal. 3:26

And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Gal. 3:29

For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham

or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

Rom. 4:13

The faith we have in Jesus, justifies us to be His inheritance, we are heir to all His promises, and therefore, we are all standing on the promises of God.

This reminds me of this familiar song, “Standing on the Promises of God”. Let’s listen to this song and praise God in our hearts with adoration and thanksgivings.