The Same Old Complaints

 When traveling on foot, the availability of water is a major factor in determining where one goes, especially in the desert.  Water was more plentiful along the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba than further out in the desert, so they traveled along the coast then turning eastward at the tip of the gulf to go around the Edomite lands.  Along the way they crossed several small streams.  It was nearly three times as far as it would have been to go across the Edomite land, and people got really discouraged, as Numbers 21:4-5 tells us.  “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.  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; and our soul loatheth this light bread.”

 

The only reason they were going that way was because thirty five years before they had refused to obey God, but their attitude had not changed.  Though they had never missed a meal or gone without water in all that time, they were still griping about the food and the lack of water, accusing Moses of having brought them out there to die.  When people get into a habit of complaining, nothing satisfies them.  God is very patient, but after thirty five years of listening to the same complaints over and over he had had enough, as Numbers 21:6 tells us.  “And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.” 

 

When people began to die of the snakebites, the crowd realized their complaints were blasphemy against God and asked Moses to pray that God would take away the snakes, in Numbers 21:7.  “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.”

 

As I John 1:9 tells us, God is always willing to forgive us and heal us when we admit our sin and ask him to forgive.  God instructed Moses to put a brass serpent on a pole and that anyone who would make the effort to look at it would survive.  Numbers 21:8-9 describes the results.  “And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.  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 the serpent of brass, he lived.”

 

All that was required to be healed was enough faith to make the effort to look and one would be healed.  Jesus himself used this incident to illustrate what is required for salvation.  All that is required is to ask for salvation and trust him to do what he promised, but many people think that is too easy and won’t work.  The problem is they aren’t willing to trust him.