Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of Numbers is a bit of a grab-bag of incidents. There isn’t a main theme running through the book, really; it’s perhaps one of the best pieces of evidence for the camel-bump theory of the origins for the chapter breaks (See chapter 10!). Anyhow, let’s get into it.

Verses 1 – 3 give us a very brief description of an attack on a city known as Arad. In this case the Israelites have been attacked first, and they vow to destroy the city if God gives it into their hands.

This is a little troubling for our mindset today, but this is fairly standard in religious practices of the day. When you gave something to a god, the usual method of doing so was to destroy it. You can see this in the practice of giving God burnt offerings. So to destroy a city was the ultimate donation – giving God everything that was in the entire town!

From here (in vs 4 – 9) we go to the curious incident of the snake on a pole (this could be a good title for a whodunit . . ). This occurred because the people of Israel were grumbling and asking to go back to Egypt (no, really?), having complained bitterly of how Moses took us out here to die in the desert (just hear the melodrama!). God sends punishment – poisonous snakes, and many are bitten. When the people repent, God relents, and tells Moses to have a bronze snake put on a pole. Anyone who is bitten can look upon the snake and live. You guessed it – more about this later!

Verses 10 to 20 give us a travelogue of the Israelites’ journeys, telling of their destinations in order.

We next arrive at the incident between Israel and the Amorites, in verses 21 – 32. In many ways, this is similar to the interaction with Moab at the end of the last chapter; but whereas the Moabites simply refused passage to the Israelites, the Amorites not only refused but also attacked them. So the Israelites meet their enemies; once again, with God’s blessing, they kick bu-

*ahem*

Since this is a commentary, perhaps I should simply say that they fight well and win!

Finally, they meet with the armies of Og, king of Bashan. The curious thing is that Og is only really encountered in this passage, yet in the book of Revelation he is seen as a symbol of the enemies of God’s people. He is obviously an important figure in the folklore of the Israelites; but what his importance really is, I cannot say.

For us, the story of the snake on a pole is significant. We’re often left to make our own conclusions about what parts of the Old Testament connect with what parts of the New Testament; this can sometimes lead to tinfoil helmet territory, as people draw longer and longer bows as to what really matters. But I think we’re justified in this particular case – in John 3:14, Jesus Himself uses this metaphor explicitly – “Just as Moses lifted the snake in the desert, I must be lifted up.”[1]

What exactly is this snake all about? God never really asks for images before; in fact, He teaches against them! This can be seen all the more because when people start worshiping this snake (in 2 Kings 18:4), the king of Israel is forced to destroy it. No, the metal snake doesn’t have the power to heal. It’s not meant to be worshiped.

So if it’s not an idol, what is this snake?

Simply put, it’s a focus. When someone is bitten, they look up a the snake – and they are reminded that the God who asked the snake to be placed there is BIGGER than snakebite. Effectively, God provides a way by which someone can offer an instant prayer for healing, and as a nice touch, “the symbol of their suffering became a focus for their faith”[2]!

Some Christian traditions (notably the Catholics and Orthodox) tend to use icons a lot. Christians are free to do this (no matter what my late grandmother used to say!), but there is a danger of us losing sight of the fact that it is God who is important, not the icon itself.

As an illustration, I have seen people claiming a miracle, where (frequently) a statue of Mary appears to be weeping real tears. All very nice, but here we’re risking losing sight of God – in concentrating on the crying statue, we’re forgetting about the person who makes it happen (that’s assuming it’s not a leaking roof!).

Okay, so far so good. Most of my readers are from the protestant tradition, so you’re with me all the way so far. “Stick it to them!” you might be saying. “No graven images! Woohoo!”

Yeah, but we do the same. Some of us wear crosses. Now, I’m assuming here that it has a meaning to us, and isn’t just a fashion statement. Good. But the question is simple – is this cross a way of remembering Christ and what He has done for us? Or is the cross itself taking on an unhealthy significance?

A good test here: Let’s just say that the cross was worn out or broken somehow. Would you feel okay about throwing it away and replacing it[3]? Or would you feel obligated to do something else (say, bury it or retire it into a special box)?

If you couldn’t throw it away, you might be emphasizing the symbol (rather than its meaning) a little too much.

In recent vampire fiction, the old idea that a vampire recoils from crosses has been revisited. Some authors are saying now that a vampire in fact recoils from the faith of the person, focused through the cross. Whilst this is totally fictional, I like it.

God has no problem with us using symbols to focus our faith. But let’s not forget that the important thing is not the symbol itself, but the God who is symbolized by the symbol.


[1] Hughes International Version (HIV) again.

[2] I wish I could claim credit for this wording, but I’m actually stealing from the singer Michael Card here.

[3] It is also possible that the cross may have some sentimental value. Discount that for the purposes of this thought experiment.