Numbers 21:4-9

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.’” (Numbers 21:8)

Most of the narratives up until now in Numbers are of a negative tone, filled with rebellion and sin and death. These events include the rebellion and sin of the leaders Moses and Aaron (Num. 20:2–13) and the deaths of Miriam and Aaron (Num. 21:1, 22–29). But as the old generation disappears, the tone of the narratives becomes increasingly positive. Numbers 21:1–9 shows progress, regress, and progress. The people are on the move, going around Edom (Num. 21:4), which has refused them passage (Num. 20:21–23), and will soon pass through Moab (Num. 21:10–20). There is a victory at Hormah, a place where the old, disobedient generation had been routed (Num. 14:45). But then there is one last rebellion that leads God to send vipers among them. But even this is mitigated by the people’s expressions of remorse and repentance. Thus, this section represents movement both physically and spiritually toward the promised land.

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