from WL Worcester (H Blackmer, ed.), 
The Sower.  Helps to the Study of the Bible in Home and Sunday School
 
(Boston: Massachusetts New-Church Union, n.d.)

Table of Contents
 

 

Lesson 53

Numbers 21: Fiery Serpents

The Story

Primary

It was time for the children of Israel to end their wandering life in the wilderness and to go into the promised land. They were not to go as the spies had done, from the south, but from the east through the River Jordan, which would open for them as a gate. Their shortest way would be through this land of Edom, and so up on the east side of the Dead Sea. The people of Edom were their cousins, the family of Esau, Jacob's brother. But they were not friendly and would not let the people of Israel go through their land, not even when they promised to keep to the road and to do no harm to the country. Edom was a land of rough mountains and narrow passes, where a few people could stop the way against many. How disappointing, how discouraging to have to take a long journey away from the promised land to go around the land of Edom. While they were still near the mountains of Edom, Aaron, who was the chief priest of the people and the brother of Moses, died. Moses and Aaron and Eleazar, Aaron's son, went up into a mountain, Mount Hor. Aaron died there, and Moses put the priestly garments on Eleazar, Aaron's son. He was now priest in his father's place.

Another trouble met the people as they were traveling to get around the land of Edom, and "the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way." Poisonous serpents bit the people and many of them died. Once more the Lord told Moses what to do, to make a serpent of brass and to lift it up on a pole, and when those who had been bitten looked at the serpent of brass they were made well and lived. So the people journeyed around the land of Edom and reached the plain of Moab by the Jordan. They were now at the gate, but they rested here for some time before going into the promised land.

 

Junior

The children of Israel were journeying southward to compass the land of Edom. It was a desert region, hot, and barren, and their faces were turned away from the promised land. No wonder that "the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way." There came also fiery serpents and bit the people and many of them died. Let us read verses 1 to 9. Do you remember how the Lord once spoke of this serpent in the wilderness when He talked with Nicodemus, who came to him by night? (John 3:14-15) Someone look up for us and tell us what finally became years afterward of the brazen serpent which Moses made. (2 Kings 18:4)

Reaching the head of the Red Sea, the children of Israel turned northward, passing to the east of Edom. This is a wild and interesting country, but as yet not much visited by travelers and not well known. As we look at the map of the eastern country, we notice two large brooks; the Arnon runs into the Dead Sea at about the middle of its eastern shore, and the Jabbok runs into the Jordan about half way between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. The Zered, a smaller brook, enters the Dead Sea near its southern end. The story of the journey of Israel through this country is told in our chapter and also more fully in Deut. 2 and 3.

As we read verses 10-12 of our chapter, we follow the people up the eastern border of Edom; at verse 12 they reach the Zered; in verse 13 they move on and cross the Arnon. They have passed the land of Moab on their left, which lay by the Dead Sea south of the Arnon, and the land of Ammon was to the north and on their right. These nations were descendants of Lot, the nephew of Abraham, and they were told, as in the case of Edom, not to fight with them. But having crossed the Arnon they came to the Amorites, who were their enemies. They fought with them and conquered them. The Amorites were enemies of Moab, too, and had taken from Moab the country north of the Arnon, perhaps not very long before. The king of the Amorites was Sihon, who lived in Heshbon, nearly opposite the head of the Dead Sea.

The children of Israel journeyed on and crossed the Jabbok, among the hills and beautiful groves of Gilead. They were now in the land of Bashan. There were famous pastures here, and to the north there was a wild region of volcanic mountains called Argob, where the king of Bashan had his city. He was a giant named Og. The people fought with him and took his country. Many giants had lived in this country in the old days. (Deut. 2, 3; Gen. 14) The children of Israel now camped in the meadows on the east side of Jordan, north of the Dead Sea, looking across to Jeshimon, the wilderness of Judaea.

1. What people lived in Edom?

2. What hard experience did the people have as they journeyed southward to compass the land of Edom? What was done to bring them relief?

3. What large streams run into the Dead Sea and the Jordan from the east?

4. What four nations did the children of Israel find in the eastern country? With which of these did they fight?

5. What king did the people meet who reminds us of giants who lived in this country long before?

Spiritual Study

Intermediate

What sort of trouble in the journey of life is pictured by the biting of the people by fiery serpents? What is represented by the serpent that tempted the good people of Eden? All the animals represent affections of the human heart. Do the serpents represent affections that are high and noble, or ones that are external and near the world? They lie on the ground and come and go with a stealthy movement; some of them charm their prey, and some have poisonous bites. They represent affections of a very external kind, for pleasant things of sense. These are innocent in their place, but how they insinuate themselves until some fierce appetite has one in its power! The pleasure charms the person; its bite benumbs the person’s conscience. (A. 195, 6400)

What is represented by the serpent of brass that Moses raised upon a pole and by which the people were healed? When appetites charm us, and get their coils about us, and benumb us with their bite, what can save us from spiritual death? The Lord only can help us. He "lifted up," He glorified, made Divine, these affections in His human life, and He will make them good in us. Brass represents what is good in the plane of outward life, as gold represents good love in the heart. Read John 3:14-15. (E. 581; A. 197, 8624)

If the land of Canaan represents heaven and a spiritual life, the region beyond Jordan represents natural states, work and pleasure connected with the body and the world, which may be helpful to the heavenly life or may be opposed to it. Moab and Ammon, descendants of Lot, in the best sense represent what is good and true or seems to be good and true in the outward forms of worship and daily life. For this reason, the children of Israel must not fight with Moab and Ammon. (A. 1571, 2468) Moab and Ammon had conquered the ancient giants and taken their country. So in the Lord's providence outward forms of goodness are made to hold evil things in check. But they are not interiorly strong and are themselves easily misled and perverted. This is suggested in our lesson where we read that Moab had been lately conquered and robbed by the Amorites.

The children of Israel fought with the Amorites and the people of Bashan and conquered them. This is because they represent what is wholly false and evil, with which no compromise must be made, but they must be thoroughly overcome. When evil thoughts and motives are wholly conquered, then all parts of outward life, all pleasures and duties connected with the body and the world, may be enjoyed innocently and may become useful to heavenly life. This is represented presently when the country of the Amorites and Bashan is given as a home to some of the tribes of Israel. (E. 434, 435, 440; R. 351-355)

In verse 14, "the book of the wars of Jehovah" is mentioned, and words are quoted from it. In verse 27, "they that speak in proverbs" are spoken of, and several verses are quoted. "The book of the wars of Jehovah" was an historical book belonging to the Ancient Word which was given to humanity before our present Bible. "They that speak in proverbs" was a prophetic book of the same Ancient Word. Read about them in T. 279.

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