NUMBERS 21
It is noticeable that from this point the people are characterised by overcoming their enemies. The Canaanite, the Amorite, the Bashanite, and the Midianite were enemies encountered on the wilderness side of [p. 275] Jordan, but they had to be overcome in view of reaching the land. They represent certain fleshly principles which oppose themselves to what is spiritual in the people of God. Perhaps the Canaanite, whose name probably means Trader, may be regarded as representing the desire for material prosperity, the ambition to get on in the world. It cannot be doubted that some of God’s Israel have been taken prisoners by this king! (verse 1).
The vow made by Israel (verse 2) manifests a vigour and devotedness such as we have not seen previously in this book, and, viewed typically, it is the result of drinking the water from the rock, and of the investiture of the priest whose name speaks of divine help. The apprehension of what is in the mind of God for His people, and of Christ as Priest in relation to it, puts vigour into the soul, for it gives assurance that God is for us, and that He can be counted on to give power to overcome all that is against us. What is needed is purpose on our side, and this is set forth in the vow which Israel made. If we are really minded to overcome our spiritual enemies God gives us the victory over them. And this would certainly apply in any case where the desire for worldly prosperity was warring against the soul. Of how little account is such prosperity in view of the dissolution of the whole system of material things (2 Peter 3:10 - 14)! And how unworthy an object of pursuit, if compared with the wondrous thoughts and gifts of divine love! Let us be content to do with diligence whatever comes into our responsibility in the providential ordering of God, leaving our circumstances to His disposal. But let us be watchful and prayerful to keep our hearts free from every desire that would make the earthly of more importance to us, practically, than the heavenly. To have the enjoyment of what is ours according to divine love and purpose is far more important and precious than to gain the whole world.
[p. 276] This should be something more to us than a truth which we admit in an abstract way. The spirit of Israel’s vow would lead to our being practical overcomers. When our commanding interest is that which God has before Him for us, it soon becomes very manifest, as on this occasion, that God is for us. And if He is for us, it matters little who is against us.
But even after such a victory as that recorded in verse 3, the ways of Jehovah brought to light a terrible spirit in the people. When we have experienced spiritual refreshing and help, and have got definite victory over some of our spiritual enemies, we are apt to think that we have no more to learn of what the flesh is! But precisely at this point the deepest and most searching self-discovery came about. “And they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go round the land of Edom” (verse 4). It was, no doubt, a disappointing experience. They were turned back from the land when they were apparently within easy reach of it, and they had to travel a long distance almost due south to the Red Sea. That is the kind of thing that happens sometimes when we have been refreshed and helped, and have got spiritual victories. When we think we are going to make progress, all is suddenly reversed. We seem to be sent back to where we were long ago, to begin as it were afresh. Such an experience as this gives occasion to the naughtiness of the flesh to break out as badly as ever.
“And the soul of the people became impatient on the way; and the people spoke against God, and against Moses, Why have ye brought us up out of Egypt that we should die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and no water, and our soul loathes this light bread” (verse 5). It is a dreadful thing to find that, after knowing God’s salvation for many years, and proving His faithfulness in a thousand ways, the mind of the [p. 277] flesh is still enmity against God. Because here it is just that. Their complaints were inexcusable. They had been in the wilderness forty years, and had not died! They had had bread from heaven — better food than anybody else in the world — and they had had water. It was simply that God’s way and God’s provision were altogether distasteful to them. What a revelation is this of the true state of man’s heart and mind Godward! How often believers are appalled by what Solomon refers to when he says, “they shall know every man the plague of his own heart”! (1 Kings 8:38). How often they have to say, with Rebecca, “Why am I thus?” And this may be, too, when the great thoughts of God for His people are beginning to dawn upon us more clearly.
The truth is that God could not bring us into what His love proposes to give us without teaching us a profound fundamental lesson. We have to learn to judge our own flesh in the very source of its being morally, and we have to learn how God has secured its utter condemnation. “Then Jehovah sent fiery serpents among the people, which bit the people; and much people of Israel died” (verse 6). This visitation of God brought home in a sharp and terrible way that the naughtiness of the flesh is really satanic in origin. It is a poison introduced by Satan himself, “the ancient serpent, he who is called Devil and Satan” (Revelation 12:9). Can we wonder that it is directly and positively adverse to God? It is a terrible thing to contemplate, but there is no full conviction of sin until this is brought home to one experimentally. The bite of the fiery serpent is the divine conviction of what the flesh truly is in the very source of its being. Every bit of unbelief, rebellion, murmuring, every despising of what God would give in love, the distaste for Christ as God’s great provision for men, can only be understood or estimated aright [p. 278] when we see that all had its origin in the serpent. God is bent on our being brought to judge the very root of the mischief, for it is only thus that we can appreciate the great action of His love for us. We shall never understand what life is as the gift of God until we realise that we are death-stricken, and deservedly so, and we can do absolutely nothing to extricate ourselves from that state or its consequences. We can only confess that it is so.
“And the people came to Moses and said, We have sinned, in that we have spoken against Jehovah, and against thee: pray to Jehovah that he take away the serpents from us” (verse 7). This is the first true confession of sin by the people in this book. The words, “we have sinned” in chapter 14:40 cannot be regarded as a true confession, for they were accompanied by presumptuous transgression of Jehovah’s commandment. They were no better than the formal confessions which are often made by people without any true sense of what their words mean. The importance of true confession of sin can hardly be exaggerated, for it changes the whole ground on which persons are with God. Whatever had been true on God’s part towards Israel, they had never until now taken this ground with Him. It was the first true bit of self-judgment. They now realised that God and Moses — against whom their naughtiness had broken forth — were the only ones to whom they could turn. When the flesh is judged God can be trusted, and He is never really known or trusted until then.
“And Moses prayed for the people. And Jehovah said to Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, and looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole; and it came to pass, if a serpent had bitten any [p. 279] man, and he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived” (verses 7 - 9).
That a serpent should be the type of Christ tells us plainly how He came to be identified — as lifted up upon the cross — with what the serpent had brought in. Some people think that the serpent lifted up is one of the simplest types in Scripture, but in truth it is one of the most profound. The whole mischief in man is traced to its serpent-source, but with a view to it being judged in the Sinless One. What sin is has been fully manifested in man. Positive hatred of God, even when revealed in grace in Christ, has come out in man, under pretence of zeal for God in the religious leaders of the Jews, and this accompanied by coarsest brutality and insult, both on their part and on the part of the common people and the Roman soldiers. I do not think it is too much to say that enmity against God has been expressed in man in a way that would not have been permitted in Satan or his angels. They would not have dared to spit in the face of the blessed One, or to buffet Him. The lawless principle which originated in Satan has expressed itself in man. Our thoughts are not adjusted morally until we see the source from which all evil has emanated. No one judges his own flesh in a divine way until he sees that it is morally of Satan, and positively adverse to God. If that is so, every person that fears God must be conscious that it ought to be condemned. Then we are prepared to learn, as divinely taught, that God Himself is the source of good. His love is known by the supreme sacrifice which He made that men might be freed from all that came in by the serpent. God’s great intent was that the lawless principle of sin which had expressed itself in man should be judged and condemned in Man, even in His beloved Son as Son of man.
[p. 280] The condemnation of sin in the flesh is an accomplished fact. “God, having sent his own Son, in likeness of flesh of sin, and for sin, has condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:3). In the type the serpent was lifted up in the fortieth year of the wilderness, but the love of God has now made it possible for us to begin with it. God, acting in love for His sinful creature man, has cleared the ground effectually, to His own satisfaction and glory, so that nothing now stands in the way of what His love proposes. We may take forty years to come to it, but since the lifting up of the Son of man it is there to come to. The youngest believer may begin with the knowledge through faith that all that he is morally as in the flesh has been condemned in Christ when he was a sacrifice for sin upon the cross. The great thoughts of divine love can take effect, for, on the divine side, the flesh is no longer there to obstruct them.
So that life comes in now as the gift of God. “It shall come to pass that every one that is bitten, and looketh upon it, shall live”. Every death-stricken person could look away from himself to a divinely provided object, and in doing so, he lived. It is evident that those who lived at that time lived in view of going into the land in contrast to perishing in the wilderness. It was not the time then to speak of eternal life, for the things were only typical, but what was really in the mind of God came out in the Lord’s own words to Nicodemus. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, thus must the Son of man be lifted up, that every one who believes on him may not perish, but have life eternal. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believes on him may not perish, but have life eternal” (John 3:14 - 16). The serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, but those who lived by [p. 281] looking upon it lived in view of going over Jordan into the inheritance. According to the divine thought they lived for the inheritance, hence the Lord, in giving present application to the type, brings in eternal life. God’s love has not in view for men merely a better kind of life for this world, but a life of a totally different kind and order from anything that man knows naturally — a life altogether outside the range of death. There is a testimony in the serpent lifted up in the wilderness of what is in God’s heart for men, though the thing itself lies outside the wilderness. Life is not in the man that is here, for he has to look to Another to get it, but the One to whom he looks has been given in death as the great witness of the love of God. Even the Son of God has died here, bearing the condemnation of the sinful man, but in view of living in a condition altogether outside this world in the sphere of resurrection. It is of the utmost importance to see that the sphere into which He entered as risen from among the dead is the sphere of that life which the love of God has in view for men. Indeed, as we know, eternal life is in the Son of God; it is altogether outside the life of flesh. To many believers the gift of eternal life suggests very little more than the assurance of eternal security. But it means that we consciously appreciate and enjoy the love of God, and the spiritual conditions which that love has established, into which we enter as believing on the One who has been lifted up. Eternal life is clearly outside the whole natural order of things, for everything of that order is under death.
Looking at the serpent of brass and living evidently corresponds in a typical way with what the Lord spoke of to Nicodemus. He presented to that enquiring soul what was in the mind of God to give to men, consequent upon His own lifting up. All that was involved in it was not opened up; that awaited development [p. 282] in due time. It was, we might say, the great proposal of divine love, that God has loved men in view of eternal life. Such a proposal is calculated to awaken the most lively desires to know what is comprehended in this great gift, and to have conscious possession and enjoyment of it. Eternal life is the great act of favour of God, in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). We might say that the land of Canaan was Israel’s by divine gift before they left Egypt. It is constantly spoken of as the land which Jehovah would give them. But it is obvious that it was not theirs in conscious possession until they put their feet on it.
The type we are considering teaches us that sinful flesh must be ended under divine condemnation, and the death which rests upon it by God’s judgment must be annulled by One going into it who was personally exempt from it, if men are to live. Life involves the gift of the Spirit, for “the Spirit [is] life on account of righteousness” (Romans 8:10), and it is written that “if, by the Spirit, ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Romans 8:13). We read also, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2). We have no power to live in freedom from the law of sin and death even in wilderness conditions apart from the Spirit. God “has condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law should be fulfilled in Us, who do not walk according to flesh but according to Spirit” (Romans 8:4). The condemnation of the flesh in the lifting up of the Son of man was in view of an altogether new power coming in by the Spirit, so that instead of the flesh overcoming us we might be empowered to overcome the flesh, and to do the will of God in the very scene and circumstances where we formerly did our own will. Until this is brought about we cannot be said to live in any true sense Godward.
[p. 283] But much more than this was in God’s mind when He gave us His Holy Spirit. He had before Him that region of life eternal of which the land over Jordan was a type, and of which we have already spoken. And His people are seen here as moving in that direction. “The children of Israel journeyed, and encamped in Oboth. And they removed from Oboth, and encamped at Ijim-Abarim, in the wilderness that is before Moab, toward the sun-rising” (verses 10,11). They had been actually travelling with their backs upon the land, but now they turned eastward. It was a movement which represents a most important turning point in the history of our souls. For the sun-rising speaks of the coming up of the glorious light of what is in the mind and purpose of God. It will shine forth publicly at the coming of the Lord, but it shines in a spiritual way now when Christ comes into view as shedding forth the light of what is in the mind of God for man. To encamp toward the sun-rising was the turning point for the land. It typifies the great change which is brought about when believers begin to consider Christ as the One in whom God has put the light of His great proposals of love. The thought and purpose of God becomes a dominant influence, and the faces of His people are turned towards what He cherishes and delights to give. It will be a wondrous day for the children of Israel and the children of Judah when they seek Jehovah their God, and “inquire concerning Zion, with their faces thitherward” (Jeremiah 1:5). And it is a wondrous new day in the soul’s history when Christ becomes to it the light of all that is in God’s love and purpose.
It is to be noted that from this point there is abundance of water. We read of “the torrent Zered” (verse 12), “the brooks of Arnon”, “the stream of the brooks which turneth to the dwelling of Ar” (verses 14,15).
[p. 284] They are coming into conditions which have something in common with the land as “a land of water-brooks”. And as it is “the book of the wars of Jehovah” which speaks of these brooks I think we are justified in regarding them as sources of refreshment for God’s people which become available as a result of spiritual conflicts. They are not in the land, but they axe refreshing to those who are on the way to it, and who are moving in heavenly light. If we were deprived of all the refreshments in ministry which have come to Us in connection with “the wars of Jehovah” we should find ourselves in a much drier land than we are in at present. Almost everything that has been specially refreshing to the people of God in these last days has had to be contended for. Every part of the truth connected with the presence of the Spirit, and the order of the assembly in relation to it, has had to be fought for. We drink freely of many brooks today of which the Spirit of God would remind us that their history is written in “the book of the wars of Jehovah”.
How good it is when God can take account of us as identified with His cause in a militant way, so that His enemies are our enemies, and our victories are His victories. This is one great result of having beheld the serpent lifted up. Divine power is now engaged in every conflict. It is not that we have to contend in our weakness against powers too strong for us, but as enlisted in Jehovah’s host we engage in His wars, and have the power of His Spirit to secure victory over all that is adverse to Him and to the progress and prosperity of His people. From this point to the taking of Jericho the people are victorious in every conflict.
The incidents of this chapter are great spiritual landmarks. Life as a result of beholding the serpent lifted up; then the turn towards the sun-rising; then [p. 285] the thought of conflicts which are definitely “the wars of Jehovah”.
“And from thence to Beer: that is the well of which Jehovah spoke to Moses, Assemble the people, and I will give them water” (verse 16). This is a very precious type for it speaks of the gift of the Holy Spirit on the line of excess. It is not here the answer to necessitous conditions such as led to murmuring in Exodus 17, and Numbers 20. It is God’s proposal in His own free and sovereign love, and it brings out in a wonderful way what God would have to mark His people subjectively. Because in this case the supply is not from the rock, but from a well; it springs up from beneath. It is the Spirit regarded as rising up within the believer according to the Lord’s words: “the water which I shall give him shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into eternal life” (John 4:14).
In considering the Spirit as the water from the rock our attention is directed more especially to Christ. The Spirit is given in consequence of His being smitten (Exodus 17), or as coming from Him in His exaltation (Numbers 20). But in John 4, while the living water is clearly the gift of God and the gift of Christ, the Lord lays stress on the form which it would take in the believer. It would become a fountain or well in the one who received it. This is a purely subjective thought, and such thoughts are very exercising because they are not abstract truth, but spiritual and experimental realities which are either verified as being such or their value is little known. Not that there can be any question as to the giving on the divine side. “Assemble the people, and I will give them water”. “If thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that says to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water”. But the instruction of the type before us must [p. 286] be added to fill out in our apprehension what is requisite if the value of the well is to be realised.
There is first of all a spontaneous outburst of song. For it is not here that Moses sings, and the children of Israel with him, as in Exodus 15. But here, “Then Israel sang this song, Rise up, well! sing unto it”. Jehovah’s proposal to give them water awoke a lively and appreciative response. They were not merely thankful to know that the water was there, but their hearts broke forth in earnest desire that it should rise up. They would encourage the well by singing to it. We should remember that if it is possible to grieve the Holy Spirit of God, it is also possible to please and cheer Him by our hearty appreciation of His presence, and of all that it may mean to us. The blessedness of the Well will only be realised by those who know how to value it, and who encourage it to “Rise up”.
Then the water which is procured from a “well” differs from that which flows in a stream or river, inasmuch as diligent labour has had to be expended so that it may become accessible, and may rise up without obstruction. The thought of wells being dug is brought before us particularly in Genesis 26. And here we read, “Well which princes digged, which the nobles of the people hollowed out at the word of the lawgiver, with their staves” (verse 18). The water was given, but its accessibility was dependent on the well being dug and hollowed out by the princes and nobles. Spiritual nobility comes out in such labour as this. Many believers accept as truth that they have the Spirit, but they are quiescent; there are no energetic movements of soul to get the present gain of the fountain that springs up into life eternal.
“The word of the lawgiver” must direct. It comes to us in many scriptures, and especially in Romans, I Corinthians, and Galatians. If we prayerfully consider [p. 287] these epistles we shall see what a great place the Spirit of God is to have with us. If we are according to Spirit we shall mind “the things of the Spirit” (Romans 8:5); they will be our predominant interest. We must by the Spirit put to death the deeds of the body if we wish to “live” (Romans 8:13). And we have to sow to the Spirit in order to reap from the Spirit eternal life (Galatians 6:8). The word “do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God” is found in Ephesians 4 alongside the mention of many things which do grieve Him, and which therefore have to be judged and set aside by all those who would have the gain of His presence. The digging and hollowing out of the well clearly typify the removal by diligent exercise of all that which would hinder the water from becoming available.
Then there is something more in this type than the free springing up of the Well in the individual believer, though that would be included in it because the greater includes the less. Jehovah’s word here is, “Assemble the people, and I will give them water”. So that there is in it the thought of a rising up of spiritual invigoration amongst the saints as assembled. If every fleshly thought and feeling and motive were judged by the saints before coming together, what liberty there would be for spiritual affections to flow! No doubt many of us have proved something of the reality of this at times, but it is certain that if there were more diligent digging the flow of the living water would be much more abundant, The word, “be filled with the Spirit”, is addressed to the saints collectively, and it puts upon us all responsibility to see that nothing is retained which would hinder the Spirit from having full place with us. To labour to this end is a mark of princely dignity and true nobility amongst the people of God.
The consideration of all this will help us to understand how Israel is viewed typically from this point [p. 288] onward in this book. They are seen in the latter part of this chapter as victorious over Sihon king of the Amorites and Og the king of Bashan. (For remarks on the typical significance of these two kings the reader is referred to “An Outline of Deuteronomy”, chapters 2,3). In chapters 22 - 24 they are seen and described by Balaam as a separate and justified and beautified people. Then they are numbered in view of going into the inheritance, and the remainder of the book is mainly preparatory to their entering upon it. They are typically God’s elect people, the subjects of His work, and having His Spirit for power. To use New Testament language, they are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, and, in singing to the Well, we see them identified in their interests and affections with all that the Spirit would bring in and lead them into. All this corresponds with how the people of God are viewed in Romans 8.