Faith is the victory (Num 21)

Numbers 21:1-35
Key verse 21:8-9

The previous passage (chapter 20) signals the end of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness for about 40 years. Most of the older generation die, including Miriam and Aaron, and the younger generation emerges. BY drinking them with the water from the rock, God encouraged them to believe that it was God who could sustain their lives. In today’s passage, Israel defeats three Canaanites kings on the way to the Promised Land. Israel is victorious. Intriguingly though, the episode of the bronze snake is interposed between these three victories. We will study the significance of the bronze snake incident and how all these episodes are correlated. Today we are going to talk about how to overcome challenges and win victory. 

21 When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them. 2 Then Israel made this vow to the Lord: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy their cities.” 3 The Lord listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites over to them. They completely destroyed them and their towns; so the place was named Hormah.

Israel left Mount Hor and was on the road to Atharium. The Canaanite king of Arad in Negev attacked the Israelites and captured some of them. This might have humiliated the Israelites and scared them again since they were ever defeated by the Canaanites (Ch.14:44-45). But this time they were different. They made a vow to God that if he helped them to defeat the Canaanites, they would totally destroy their cities. What did they mean by that?

First, they admitted their inability and depended on God. They finally came to understand that they could defeat the Canaanites if God helped them. Secondly, Israel determined to totally destroy the Canaanites and their cities. This meant that they would not associate with the Canaanites and their gods at all but live holy as God’s people.

God was pleased with their vow and gave the Canaanites over to them. And Israel completely destroyed them. So the place was called Hormah, which means destruction.

The victory at Hormah marked a turning point where Israel revered her situation and turned the tables on the Canaanites. Interestingly, Israel defeated the Canaanites at Hormah the same place where they had been once defeated by them (14:44-45). This victory was their first victory after their 40 year’s wandering. So this victory must have been a great encouragement and hope for them.

4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”

Previously, Edom rejected Israel’s passage through their territory. So Israel had to go around Edom along the route to the Red Sea. Then impatience grew on the Israelites and they grumbled about food and water. They even detested mana God gave them. They still complained and distrusted in God. Even after their victory, their sinfulness still remained. The same is true with us. Even though God provides us with everything for our life, we often do not appreciate it, saying, “Why has God brought me this trouble? I have no job. Why should I go to church? …” What did God do for the Israelites who complained over and over again?

6 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

Immediately, God punished them with venomous snakes. The snakes appeared everywhere even inside their tents and bit them on their legs and probably on their pouty lips as well. As a result many people died. But one thing different about them this time was that they immediately admitted their sin and humbly asked God for help, saying, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you.”

8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.

At this, God offered an antidote. But his antidote was a bronze snake! God told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole. He said that anyone who was bitten by snakes and looked at the bronze snake would live. If you were bitten by a snake, what should you do? You must go to hospital immediately. Snake’s poison does not disappear naturally over time. It must be neutralized by antidote as quickly as possible. Otherwise, you would die. But God did not give them any magic medicines. His remedy was that they should look at the bronze snake. This was totally unreasonable from human eyes. So it demanded faith in God’s word and obedience. And amazingly those who believed and obeyed God’s word were all cured.

Snake’s poison was like their sin. The wages of sin is death. There are lots of snakes living around us – in school, at work, online and even at home. We are often bitten by doubt, bitterness, arrogance, despair, fear, and depression. We are often poisoned by worldly pleasure, fatalism, and defeatism. These all come from sin. Sin is like snake’s venom. It is so deadly that once we are bitten we become powerless, petrified and then die. How can we be cured?

Fundamentally, the Israelites’ sins was unbelief and the same is true with us. So the remedy for the venom of sin is faith in God and in his word. As the Israelites did, we should humbly admit our sins before him and come to him for help. You must trust in him and have faith in him. Obey what he says. Then you will live. Otherwise, you will suffer in your sins and will die. Faith is the only way God provides for us to be cured and saved.  Faith gives us cure and salvation but unbelief leads us to death and judgment.

In John 3:14-15, Jesus related his death on the cross to the bronze snake incident

“14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

Jesus said this to Nicodemus who was a teacher but stubbornly did not accept that he needed to be born again by faith. Furthermore, Jesus said that he himself would be also lifted up like the bronze snake, which referred to his death on the cross. To get out of darkness and see the kingdom of God, Nicodemus should look at the Jesus on the cross and believe in him. As God cured the Israelites who looked at the bronze snake, God also cures and saves anyone who looks at the Jesus on the cross. Faith in Jesus is the cure. There is no other remedies God has provided. Only faith can cure us from our sin-sickness and lead us to eternal life. By the way, God did not force all of the Israelites to look at the bronze snake. It was up to their individual choice and faith. Likewise, it is up to your individual choice, but you have to bear the consequences.

This incident again showed their chronic sin, but we can also see some changes in them. They admitted their sin and asked God for help. And they obeyed as God commanded and they were cured. In other words, they began to put their faith and trust in God. In that sense, this incident was positive and actually helped them to obey God and win victory in the following battles.  

10 The Israelites moved on and camped at Oboth. 11 Then they set out from Oboth and camped in Iye Abarim, in the wilderness that faces Moab toward the sunrise. 12 From there they moved on and camped in the Zered Valley. 13 They set out from there and camped alongside the Arnon, which is in the wilderness extending into Amorite territory. The Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.

Verses 10-20 show Israel’s passage until they encountered two Amorites kings. They passed Oboth, Lye Abarim between Moab and Edom, Zered Valley, and Arnon. Israel passed between Moab and the Amorites. Their journey was written in the Book of the Wars of the LORD. Perhaps, the Book was a collection of ancient songs.

Then Israel arrived at Beer the well, where God gave Israel water. The well gave Israel a great joy and strength. So they sang a song:

“Spring up, O well! Sing about it, 18 about the well that the princes dug, that the nobles of the people sank—the nobles with scepters and staffs.”

Why did Moses mention all these writings?

First, Moses wrote all this for the descendants of Israel to remember that their journey to the Land of Promise was a historic fact and how God provided and cared for them in the wilderness. Most of all, Israel’s passage shows God’s perfect guidance to the Land of Promise. Previously, Israel got impatient and vexed, seeing that their way to the Promised Land was getting longer and harder. But it turned out to be the best way. Through hardship and troubles, God grew their faith in God.

Though it looked longer and harder, we should believe that God is leading us in the best way. We may have troubles. Things may not work as we wish. But remember that God is leading us in the best way. When we look back our life later, we will see it. So do not grumble but put your trust in him to the end.  

After this, Israel encountered two Amorites kings and engaged in wars with them. Israel was heading toward the Plains of Moab where they were planning to cross the Jordan River. So Israel needed to pass through the territory of Sihon king of the Amorites. Israel politely asked king Sihon to allow them to pass through their land. How did king Sihon respond?

23 But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. He mustered his entire army and marched out into the wilderness against Israel. When he reached Jahaz, he fought with Israel. 24 Israel, however, put him to the sword and took over his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, but only as far as the Ammonites, because their border was fortified. 25 Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites and occupied them, including Heshbon and all its surrounding settlements.

Sihon rejected Israel’s request and then marched out against Israel to fight with Israel at Jahaz. But Israel defeated his army and took over his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, the border of the Ammonites. Then Israel captured Heshbon, which was the city of king Sihon, and all other surrounding settlement.  Verse 31 reads, “So Israel settled in the land of the Amorites.”

The land of the Amorites was the first land Israel conquered and settled in. Verses 26-30 provide us with an interesting historic background of the land. Originally, the land belonged to Moab but king Sihon took it from the former king of Moab. This was written in poets as historic facts. It was probably included here to show that the Israelites were justified in displacing the Amorites from their land, since they had acquired it from the Moabites by force.

 32 After Moses had sent spies to Jazer, the Israelites captured its surrounding settlements and drove out the Amorites who were there. 33 Then they turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole army marched out to meet them in battle at Edrei.

Now Israel sent spies to the northern area where another Amorites king ruled. His name was Og. He ruled in Bashan, Golan Height today, and his kingdom was bigger than Sihon’s kingdom. He mobilized his whole army and marched out to fight against Israel at Edrei. It seemed that he was charging against Israel with a do-or-die spirit. So it must have been scary to fight with him.

34 The Lord said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.” 35 So they struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army, leaving them no survivors. And they took possession of his land.

God encouraged Moses and Israel not be afraid of king Or but to strike him as they did to king Sihon because God would deliver him into Israel’s hands. So Israel went out and defeated king Og and left no survivors. So Israel took possession of his land too.

In this way, Israel took possession of a large portion of northern Transjordan and later Gad, Reuben, and a half tribe of Manasseh settled in the land (Numbers 32).

In today’s passage, Israel defeated three kings living in the land of Canaan. Israel already engaged in war with the Canaanites. And Israel was victorious. How come they were so different than before? Of course, it was because God helped them to win victory. But God worked through their faith in him. We can see that their faith grew over time when they defeated king Arad and when they believed in God by looking at the bronze snake. And their faith led them to victory.

What does all this teach us?  

First, we Christians should fight until we enter the kingdom of God as Israel did until they conquered the Promised Land. Life itself is a war. Christian life is much more. We cannot avoid it. If we try to avoid it, we will be like grasshoppers and eventually will be defeated. The Bible teaches us that we Christians has a war with Satan and his followers. Our war is tough. Satan is strong and we are weak. But God says, “Don’t be afraid. All you have to do is believe.” God has given us his son Jesus who is our king and our savior. All we have to do is to believe in him who died on the cross and has already defeated Satan by his resurrection. Faith in Jesus leads us to victory. It cures our sins and also gives us power to overcome our troubles, fear, negative thoughts, fatalism, and defeatism. 1 Cor 1:18 reads,

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

You may not understand how faith works but you do know that faith in Jesus is the power of God. John H, Yates wrote the following hymn in 1891.

“Encamped along the hills of light,
Ye Christian soldiers, rise,
And press the battle ere the night
Shall veil the glowing skies.
Against the foe in vales below
Let all our strength be hurled;
Faith is the victory, we know,
That overcomes the world.
Faith is the victory!
Faith is the victory!
Oh, glorious victory,
That overcomes the world.”

God is the one who determines the victory of our war and he wants us to have faith in him alone. Faith is the victory.

“4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” (1 John 5:4-5)

I pray that God may help us have faith in him so that we can overcome our sins and win victory. May God bless us to be victorious all the way through our lives and see our final victory in his kingdom. At that time, he will say to you, “Well done. Come on in!”

By David Yun