1 “And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of Atharim; and he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive. 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 the name of the place was called Hormah. 4 “And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way to 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, and there is no 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 And the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord that He may 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 standard; and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he seeth it, shall live. 9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and set it upon the standard; and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked unto the serpent of brass, he lived.”
Golden Text.—“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:14,15.
Special Helps.—“Patriarchs and Prophets,” Chapter 38, pp. 428–432. See article by the same title as lesson, on page 6.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) What word came to the king of Arad concerning Israel? What action did he take? Verse 1. Note 1. What vow did the Israelites make? Verse 2. (3) How did the Lord regard this vow? With what result? When was this destruction accomplished? Verse 3. Note 2. (4) Which way did Israel journey from Mount Hor? With what purpose? In what state of mind were they at this time? Verse 4. Note 3. (5) How did they manifest their discouragement? What did they say? Verse 5. Note 4. (6) What chastisement did the Lord send upon them? Verse 6. Note 5. (7) What confession did the people then make to Moses? What request did they make? How did Moses regard their request? Verse 7. Note 6. (8) In answer to his prayer, what was Moses directed to do? What promise was connected with this command? Verse 8. (9) How did Moses carry out the command? What was the effect of faith in the Lord’s promise? Verse 9. Note 7.
NOTES.
1. Israel had been denied the privilege of passing through the land of Edom, and essayed to go northward into the southern part of Canaan, by the way that the spies had entered the land. But they were met by the king of Arad, who ruled a portion of the land of Canaan, and repulsed again.
2. On account of their defeat, the Israelites took a vow before the Lord to destroy that people and their cities. The vow was carried out under Joshua, after the entry of the Israelites into the promised land. See Joshua 12:7, 14; Judges 1:16, 17.
3. The opposition which Israel met on the east by the king of Edom (the country of Esau’s descendants) and on the north by the king of Arad, compelled them to journey westward and southward again, in order to pass around to the south of Edom and go up on the east of that country to the east side of the Jordan. This wearisome prospect, following the death of Aaron, was very discouraging to a faithless people.
4. Discouragement is always the fruit of unbelief; therefore discouraged persons are prone to find fault with the providence of God and with the chosen leaders in His work.
5. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6); therefore the murmurings of the people were very displeasing to Him. Chastisement was essential to bringing them to a recognition of their dependence, because they failed to be won by means of love and constant care. Their own good and the promises of God were ever in the divine purpose.
6. The result of the chastisement proved the wisdom of God, and showed that while the rod of affliction was being laid upon them the Spirit of God was striving to win their hearts and save them from destruction. Their penitence was manifested in their confession of personal wrongs to Moses, whose leadership they had rejected. It is usually more of a cross to make personal confession to our fellow-men than to make confession to God.
7. The lesson of the serpent is briefly but clearly stated by Christ: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:14,15. There was no healing power in the brazen serpent; it was simply a test of faith in the Word of God. The serpent was kept in the sanctuary, and in after years when the people turned to idol-worship they burned incense to it. For this reason King Hezekiah had it destroyed. 2 Kings 18:4. Hezekiah expressed the true character of the thing itself, divested of any divine command or promise, when he called it nehushtan, a “piece of brass.”
