Numbers 21
Dear RTB’ers,
Today, the story of the “bronze serpent” – the Israelites grumbling, the serpents biting them, Moses lifting up a bronze serpent, and those who were bitten being saved from death by looking at the bronze serpent. This story may seem familiar to many of you, even if you have not read through Numbers before. That’s because of Jesus’ reference to this story in John’s gospel, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up… (John 3:14a) It’s wonderful when we can make connections between the Old Testament and the New Testament!
Today we begin to see Israel’s conquest, not of the Promised Land but of the land to the east, what is known as the “Transjordan”. Last year we read in Joshua that two-and-a-half tribes (Reuben, Gad, and one-half of the tribe of Manasseh) settled in the land that is conquered in today’s reading. These two defeated kings, Sihon and Og are mentioned many times down the road – four references in Deuteronomy, three in Joshua, and two in Psalms. Although they warrant only a few verses in today’s reading, it’s helpful to keep them in mind as we read further.
Blessings!