NUMBERS
CHAPTER 21
Israel destroys those Canaanites who fight against her—She is plagued with fiery serpents—Moses lifts up a serpent of brass to save those who look thereon—Israel defeats Amorites and destroys people of Bashan and occupies their lands.
1 AND when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners.
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 he called the name of the place Hormah.
4 ¶ And 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.
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, neither is there any water; [ Are we there yet? Complain complain complain - Children Of Israel. ] and our soul loatheth this light bread. [ or we are sick and tired of this manna. We want something else. How is this a sign that they are not grateful for what the Lord has provided? Are we ever not grateful for what the Lord provides and we just want him to do more - without us doing our part? ]
6 And the LORD sent [ The serpents are provide to the people to humble them. Do you suppose that they could have avoided the firery serpents if they would have ask for the Lords help in a different way? One where they were not complaining so? What message cn we take for ourselves here? ] fiery [ poisonous ] serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
7 ¶ Therefore 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.
8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: [Can you imagine the wisperings that would have gone around the camp as Moses created a brass serpent and placed it on a pole and told those who were bitten to look upon it and be saved? After all had not Moses instructed them in the 10 commandments to nnot make any graven image? Now Moses is not true to his commands? Has he gone mad? Is he really a prophet? We want our old life back this is too hard? ] and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld [ "he" - any man or woman that looked upon it - See Alma 33:19-21] the serpent of brass, he lived. [ How easy is that - look upon the brass serpent and live? What are the simularites in our lives? Prayer, scripture study, learning to trust the Lord, no matter what answer He gives. Why is it that the Lord can ask something so simple of us and it have the power to help us so greatly? Think about it, just as it was for the children of Israel so it is with us. The first step begins with simple faith, faith that really is simple enough to do what is asked no matter how simple or trite.]
11 And they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Ije-abarim, in the wilderness which is before Moab, toward the sunrising.
13 From thence they removed, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, which is in the wilderness that cometh out of the coasts of the Amorites: for Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
14 Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the LORD, What he did in the Red sea, and in the brooks of Arnon,
15 And at the stream of the brooks that goeth down to the dwelling of Ar, and lieth upon the border of Moab.
16 And from thence they went to Beer: that is the well whereof the LORD spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.
18 The princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah:
20 And from Bamoth in the valley, that is in the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looketh toward Jeshimon.
22 Let me pass through thy land: we will not turn into the fields, or into the vineyards; we will not drink of the waters of the well: but we will go along by the king’s high way, until we be past thy borders.
23 And Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness: and he came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel.
24 And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon unto Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon: for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.
25 And Israel took all these cities: and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the villages thereof.
26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, even unto Arnon.
27 Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say, Come into Heshbon, let the city of Sihon be built and prepared:
28 For there is a fire gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon: it hath consumed Ar of Moab, and the lords of the high places of Arnon.
29 Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, O people of Chemosh: he hath given his sons that escaped, and his daughters, into captivity unto Sihon king of the Amorites.
30 We have shot at them; Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon, and we have laid them waste even unto Nophah, which reacheth unto Medeba.
32 And Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they took the villages thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there.
33 ¶ And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he, and all his people, to the battle at Edrei.