March 4: Numbers 21-22

March 4, Numbers 21-22

Numbers 21. The Israelites enter into a brief battle with the Canaanites. Israel vowed to the Lord that if God protected them, they would devote the cities to destruction (reference Numbers 21:3). The Lord was faithful, and they won the battle, and carried out the promise they had made by devoting it all to destruction.Then we read about this mysterious story of the bronze serpent. Just after they are vowing to the Lord, they start complaining about their worthless food and then complained that Moses brought them out of Egypt to die again (I know, its redundant and exhausting to keep reading about the same complaints, could you imagine being Moses or God?). God then sends fiery serpents to bite the people and many Israelites died. Again, the Israelites say that they are sorry to God and Moses. Moses prays to God to forgive them and God does something crazy here - He tells Moses to make an image of a serpent made out of bronze, to then put it on a pole, and whoever was bitten - could look at this bronze serpent on a pole, be healed and live. So Moses obeyed and it worked. But get this - Jesus took this to a whole new level… In John 3:14-16 - Jesus, Himself tells us about Himself saying that, “No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life… and saved through Him.” Let’s look at it this way - God sent His son to be put to death on a cross (pole), so that whoever looks at him to be saved, shall live eternally with him! Now that is a Big God! 

The Israelites do some traveling and then they defeat King Og and all his people, and the Israelites possessed his land. 

Numbers 22. Israel is now in the plains of Moab and the surrounding nations were now in fear of the Israelites, because the Lord was with them and no human power could go against Him. Balak, the King of Moab, is afraid and send some of his elders to go get Balaam to curse the Israelites, and is willing to pay for his services. On the facade, Balaam seems like a good guy. But, don't be fooled - he is a male witch (we learn this later, I am just giving you a heads up:). Balaam seeks God and God tells him that he cannot put a curse on the Israelites, for they are blessed. He obeyed and refused to go with them. King Balak is not happy with this news and sends some of his dignitaries to go and meet with Balaam and try to persuade him by bribing him great honor and wealth. Balaam told them that he refuses to go with them if he is given all the money and riches, but asked them to stay the night (although not entirely true as he asked them to stay the night hoping God would change His mind). God speaks to him and says to go with them, but only to do exactly what God tells him to do. Balaam wakes up and travels on a donkey with them. God was angry that Balaam went with them (Some say that since God can read hearts, that Balaam’s intentions for obeying weren’t honorable to God, and that is why God was angry with him, even though it looked on the outside that he was obeying.) and sent an angel to stand in the way of God’s enemy and with a sword, strike him dead. As Balaam is riding his donkey and his servants are walking with him, the donkey saw an angel of the Lord standing in the road with a sword in his hand. The donkey, not being stupid, goes around the angel into the field and Balaam gets ticked and hits his donkey, to put him back on the road. It happens again, but this time when his donkey moves it smashes Balaam’s leg against a wall. Balaam hits his donkey. And again, this time they are between two narrow walls, and the donkey lays down when it seen the angel, so this time it laid down under Balaam! He was mad again and hit his donkey. Now it gets funny - the donkey (through the power of the Lord) asked Balaam why he keeps hitting him. Balaam engages conversation with a donkey…(wouldn’t we all want to be Dr. Doolittle and talk to animals;) Then the Lord opens the eyes of Balaam to see the armed angel, and Balaam bowed down. God tells Balaam that He is against him because his motives are perverse and that his donkey saved his life. Balaam admits his sin and God grants him to now go with the men. 

King Balak and Balaam get together and Balaam warns King Balak that he can only speak what the Lord wants him to (you can imagine that his intentions now are to be obedient!)… stay tuned!

To sum it all up:

• Like the Israelites when we follow Jesus, the Lord is with us and no human power can go against Him - He fights our battles for us (all we have to do is be obedient and pursue Him).
• Since God can read hearts, and Balaam’s intentions for obeying weren’t honorable to God, and that is why God was angry with him, even though it looked on the outside that he was obeying. What have you been doing on the outside that looks like obedience, but on the inside really you aren’t obeying God fully? Let us learn from this story, and obey God with right and just intentions. Please, don’t expect your dog or car to talk to you, to change your wrong path. Instead, take Balaam’s lesson to heart, and obey fully.
• After reading this - do you see that God will have His way, even if it is through a talking donkey? We serve a very mysterious God that works everything out His way.