Numbers 21: How Did the Complaining Israelites Move Forward Again?

In Numbers 21, the complaining Israelites acknowledged their sin, looked at the bronze serpent on the pole as God commanded, and lived. Then they continued on their journey. Yet the chapter is about more than the incident of the fiery serpents. Numbers 21 records how the Israelites survived and kept moving forward amid repeated roadblocks and battles.

After Their Victory, the Israelites Complained About the Journey Again

The chapter begins with the king of Arad attacking Israel and taking some of the people captive. Israel vowed to the LORD that if He delivered the Canaanites into their hands, they would completely destroy their towns. The LORD heard their plea, and Israel destroyed the Canaanites and their towns.

The journey following this victory, however, was far from easy. The people traveled along the road to the Red Sea to go around Edom. Growing impatient along the way, they spoke against God and Moses. They accused them of bringing them into the wilderness to die, complained that there was no food or water, and said they detested the miserable food they had been eating.

Earlier, when Israel faced adversity, they made a vow to the LORD. In the next scene, when the journey became difficult, they complained against God and Moses. Within the same chapter, their cry to the LORD and their complaints against Him stand side by side.

God Told Those Who Were Bitten to Look at the Bronze Serpent

When the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, many were bitten and died. The people came to Moses and admitted that they had sinned by speaking against the LORD and against him. They asked Moses to pray that the LORD would take the serpents away, so Moses prayed for the people.

The LORD instructed Moses to make a fiery serpent and put it on a pole. He said that anyone who was bitten could look at it and live. Moses made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever someone who had been bitten looked at the bronze serpent, that person lived.

The passage does not say that the people defeated the serpents. Nor does it say that all the serpents immediately disappeared. The only way for those who had been bitten to live was to look at the bronze serpent as God had commanded. The account unfolds in a clear sequence: the people confessed their sin, Moses prayed, God gave His command, and those who had been bitten lived.

Those Who Lived Broke Camp and Continued Their Journey

After the incident of the bronze serpent, the places where Israel traveled are listed one after another. The Israelites moved on to Oboth, Iye Abarim, the Zered Valley, and the far side of the Arnon. At Beer, the LORD told Moses to gather the people together and promised to give them water. Israel sang for the well to spring up, then continued through Mattanah, Nahaliel, and Bamoth until they reached the top of Pisgah.

These repeated place names show in concrete terms that the people did not remain in one place. Though they had grown impatient and complained about the journey, they looked at the bronze serpent, lived, and then resumed the pattern of setting up camp and moving on through the wilderness. After the scene in which they complained about having no water, we read of the well where God promised to provide water and of the song the people sang there.

Even When Kings Blocked Their Way, the Journey Did Not End

Israel asked Sihon, king of the Amorites, for permission to pass through his land. They promised not to enter any field or vineyard, drink water from any well, or leave the King's Highway. Sihon refused to let them pass, however, and assembled his army to attack Israel. Israel defeated his forces and took possession of his land and towns.

Og, king of Bashan, also marched out with his people to fight them. The LORD told Moses not to be afraid of Og, for He had delivered the king, his people, and his land into Israel's hands. Israel defeated Og's army and took possession of his land.

The journey in Numbers 21 includes captivity, a long detour, fiery serpents, a lack of water, denied passage, and war. Each crisis is resolved in a different way. The LORD delivered Israel's enemies into their hands, told those who had been bitten to look at the bronze serpent, promised to provide water at the well, and told Moses not to fear Og. Trusting His word, the people survived and continued to the next place.

As you read Numbers 21 today, summarize the sequence in verses 4–9 in four sentences. Write about the people's complaint, their confession of sin, God's command, and what happened when they looked at the bronze serpent—in that order. This will help you see clearly how each part of the account connects to the next.