It was when Israel was perhaps only two years away from entering into Canaan that we read, “The soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way” (Num. 21:44And 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. (Numbers 21:4)). In spite of all that they had learned of themselves in the wilderness and, more importantly, all that they had learned of God and His grace, they once again complained. So it is liable to be with ourselves, who, on the very eve of the Lord’s coming, may well become discouraged “because of the way.” For us, the pathway of faith is not easy, any more than it was for Israel in the desert, but the same God has promised to bring us into His rest.
The complaint of Israel was that there was neither any bread nor any water, but then the real cause of the discouragement comes out: “Our soul loatheth this light bread” (Num. 21:55And 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. (Numbers 21:5)). Ever since the beginning of their wilderness journey, the manna had never failed, but after nearly forty years they began to tire of it. There was no lack of sustenance in it, but it required effort to obtain it, and despite their ingenuity in preparing it in various ways (Num. 11:88And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. (Numbers 11:8)), they were weary of it. For us, we know that the manna speaks of Christ in manhood — our food for the wilderness pathway, for the Lord Jesus could say of Himself, “He that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me” (John 6:5757As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. (John 6:57)). But the manna speaks of Christ in rejection and humiliation, and this our flesh does not like. In spite of the fullness that is in Him, we too can become weary of Christ and want something more. The result is murmuring and complaining, and even to the point where we say that we have nothing to eat. What a sad point it is when we as believers are reduced to this!
The Fiery Serpents
The Lord could not allow this to go on with Israel, and He sent fiery serpents among the people, so that many of them died. So also with us, the Lord may send difficult circumstances into our lives, or illness or some other calamity, to recall us to Himself. The physical death of the Israelite corresponds to moral death with us, where we find ourselves in serious difficulties and without human resource. But as with Israel, so with us — the discipline has the desired effect, for there is confession of their sin — we admit that “we have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee” (Num. 21:77Therefore 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. (Numbers 21:7)). Notice the correct order here; first, the recognition of sin against the Lord, and then against His servant. This is necessary for us too, if there is to be full restoration. First of all, we must realize, as David did, that “against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight” (Psa. 51:44Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. (Psalm 51:4)). Doubtless we may have sinned against others, as Israel sinned against Moses, but the seriousness of the sin before the Lord must be brought home to our souls. Our discontent in feeding upon Christ is the primary source of the trouble, although the resulting bad state of soul will always show itself in more than one area of our lives.
The Remedy
The urgent request of the people was that the serpents might be taken away, but immediate confession of sin is not full restoration to the Lord. Moses wisely did not pray to this end, but rather simply “prayed for the people” (Num. 21:77Therefore 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. (Numbers 21:7)). The answer from the Lord was not to take away the serpents, but rather to provide a remedy that directed their hearts and their gaze away from the fiery serpents to the serpent of brass on the pole. As we well know, this serpent of brass spoke of Christ lifted up on the cross and made sin for us. Brass (or copper) in Scripture always speaks of judgment, and there on the cross He bore the judgment for our sins, so that now “there is life in a look at the crucified One.” But brass also speaks of self-judgment, and it was this that was needed for full restoration. Not only did the sin of murmuring need to be confessed, but the state of soul that led to it. So with ourselves, not only do we need to confess the sin of discouragement and complaining, but we also need to be taken back to Calvary’s cross to see what Christ has suffered for us. This will produce the necessary self-judgment, not merely of the act of murmuring, but of the state of soul that ventured to call Christ, the food of our souls, “this light bread.” We might not say such words explicitly, but in our hearts, this may well be the root of the problem, as it was with Israel.
The blessed result for the bitten Israelite was that, in looking to the serpent on the pole, he lived. No human efforts would avail, but a simple look to the serpent of brass effected a complete cure. So it is with us. We may look at many different circumstances connected with our trials down here, but if we have despised Christ as our food and have neglected feeding on Him, the antidote is to behold that One as He suffered for us, and then to exercise the needed self-judgment of what has come between us and Him.
The reason for sending the fiery serpents was not because God hated the people; no, it was because He loved them and wanted, not merely their obedience, but also their hearts. So with us; He loves us and wants our affections, which will be drawn out most fully when we are taken back to the cross. Then, when we are restored, there will be renewed energy for the pathway and, as we find in the next chapter, ultimate victory over our enemies.
W. J. Prost