Is there a brass serpent that we won’t look at? (Numbers 11-14; 20-24)

11:1, 10

Complaining is a damning practice. When we complain about our leaders or our situation, it removes the power we have to affect change. Our energy is focused on complaining. Israel had an issue complaining. ”And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.”

”Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased.” Imagine a man just standing in the door of his tent weeping. This is the picture of someone who is focused on their problem. This is what simple complaining looks like. Their energy can’t get them outside of their tent. Again, let’s stop complaining.

God didn’t like it and so he burnt them up. This is likely one of those scenes that convinces people that the God of the Old Testament was a ruthless, unforgiving God. But I think there’s another way of looking at this.

God sees death differently than we do. The people who leave the mortal world simply continue in another realm. When someone dies, they are moved from this playing field to another one. If there are people who, through their actions, have the capability of taking all of Israel off-track - God removes them.

In a way, he’s looking out for Israel. He is doing what is necessary for them to progress. It’s always an act of love from God.

11:4

”And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.”

The phrase ”fell a lusting” is an interesting one. These people were lusting for their past life. I think that lust, jealousy and coveting are all a part of the natural man. It doesn’t take any energy to covet what we don’t have. All we have to do is let our human nature take over. We can easily fall into covetousness.

They are good at remembering the things that they enjoyed about being in Egypt. It’s interesting how they aren’t speaking about the whips and bondage. Again, this is human nature. We view the past with rose-colored glasses. We see other people’s lives through those same glasses. When we are feeling sorry for ourselves, we focus on what we don’t have.

We take for granted what we have. They were receiving magical manna from heaven and complaining about it. We really need to focus on NOT doing this. It’s human nature for us to do it so we must actively work towards viewing things from a heavenly lens.

Struggle is an opportunity to grow closer to God. But, if viewed from a carnal place, it is simply torture. No wonder they said, “…our soul is dried away.” The harsh physical conditions didn’t need to dry away their souls. It could have been a faith building time.

11:11-12

Caring for people is exhausting. I remember, as I approached the end of my first mission, I was exhausted from worrying about others’ progression. I said, “I can’t wait to get home and worry only about MY progression.” I was so frustrated with people not living up to the commitments that they had made.

So I feel a glimpse of what Moses felt. “And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?” He viewed it as an affliction and overwhelming burden that he was tasked with leading and caring for these people.

We need to remember that helping others is central to our own progression. None of us can progress fully in a vacuum. Much of our progress comes from fulfilling the second great commandment - to love our fellow man.

So, this burden of working to help others progress continues throughout our lives and into eternity. Consider what Heavenly Father deals with. His work and glory is to care for us for millions of years. We‘ve each got to understand and accept this responsibility.

1:14-16

Moses was feeling the burden. He said, “I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.” That last request is interesting.

We all have front row seats to our own wretchedness. We know every impure, negative, critical thought. We see the laziness. We are aware of all of the opportunities to serve that we skipped. We remember the many times that we’ve disappointed ourselves.

It sounds like Moses was also very aware. He’s asking for the Lord to NOT see his own wretchedness. We could all ask for the same blessing. If we could see ourselves as God does, we’d change instantly. We would stop feeling unworthy and simply feel loved. I wish there was a switch to make this change but we have to learn to live with it. Just like Moses did.

While the Lord wasn’t willing to veil Moses’ mind from his own failings, he did offer help. “And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.”

So there were to be 70 men who would stand with Moses and help. The question for me is, didn’t God know that he needed the help? Why did he wait for Moses to complain? I know that it somehow was connected to Moses’ growth.

Also, it‘s another example of how we can talk with God. We can make requests. We can ask for help. He will listen and then respond. It might not be what we want but it will be right.

11:18

I like the phrase “sanctify yourselves against tomorrow.” We don’t know what’s happening tomorrow. We may get sick or be in a car wreck or lose our job or house. There are infinite ways that we can struggle. Tomorrow is always risky.

While we have strength, we must continually prepare for what’s coming. Because it is coming. As we work hard to get close to the Lord, we are sanctifying ourselves against tomorrow.

11:19-20

The people were sick of manna and wanted meat. They complained. The Lord responded, “Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?”

The problem with complaining is that you sometimes get what you want. It might not be good for you.

The Lord taught them a lesson about longing for what you don’t have. We should be content with what we have.

11:21-23

When God said that they would have a month’s worth of meat, Moses questioned how they could possibly accomplish this. He thinks that he is going to enact the solution. He’s considering options that he is aware of. ”And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month. Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?”

Moses wasn’t taking into account that God’s solution may not involve him at all. Moses‘ best plans weren’t God’s plan. It’s good that Moses was attempting to provide solutions - but we must have faith that God doesn’t need our help to accomplish what he wants. We shouldn’t think our limits of brainpower are his limits.

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord’s hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.” God was saying that his power is not limited.

11:29

There were two men who were not at the tabernacle that were part of the 70. But, the spirit ”rested upon them“ and they prophesied.

A young man ran to Moses and told him about these two men and asked Moses to “forbid them.”

“And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!”

Of course, there is only one prophet in our church - then and now. However, each of us should be receiving revelation for ourselves. If we all acted like we can receive daily revelation, we would be able to HEAR HIM more effectively.

12

So…Miriam and Aaron had issue with Moses. Specifically, they had two issues:

1. ”And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.”

2. “And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it.”

Their first concern seems like an excuse to talk about their real concern. The Ethiopian woman concern seems like it‘s out of left field. I don’t know when it happens but there’s just that single verse about it…

The real concern is that they thought they should also be leading the group because they also were receiving revelation. Their issue was that Moses was the sole prophet when they were also receiving revelation.

It points out how meek Moses was in parentheses. “(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)“ I think the writer is making sure that we all know that Moses wasn’t the type that was self-aggrandizing.

So the Lord hears this and wants to talk to the three of them. He appears in a cloud and calls for Aaron and Miriam. The Lord says, “Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches.” The Lord is basically saying that there is not going to be any question who the prophet is. He will receive visions and dreams. He will speak mouth to mouth clearly - not in “dark speeches.”

So, the Lord is angry and leaves. “And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.” I’m not sure why only Miriam was punished but it’s cool that Aaron stood up for her. “And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb. And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee.”

The Lord was merciful and she was healed. But, she had to be “shut out from the camp seven days.” Interestingly, the camp didn’t move until she was done. “…and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.” This, again was merciful. They could have just kept moving.

God had to make a big point because they were questioning Moses. He couldn’t just answer them. He had to give them a serious consequence. But to heal her instantly and wait for her to be “ashamed seven days.“ The Lord is quick to forgive if his people repent. Over and over again.

13:18, 27, 28, 30-33

Moses sent a representative from each tribe to scope out the land that they were meant to inherit. Moses wanted them to “…see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds; And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land.”

The good news is that they found a wonderful land. They said, “We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.” It was obviously a great land but it was inhabited by powerful people.

Caleb had faith. “And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” He knew that it would be a challenge but had faith that, with the Lord, they could overcome anything!

But the other men had other things to say, “But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.“ If anything, it sounds like these other men are embellishing how hard it’s going to be. I’m sure they were afraid to contend with the giant sons of Anak. They just didn’t have the faith.

14:2

With this fear, they murmured. “And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!” They were so afraid, they were wishing that they’d died in Egypt or simply died in the wilderness. They appear to be faithless.

But…I think that they are an example of how we are now. When we are faced with an insurmountable struggle, how quickly do we moan and groan rather than move forward in faith?

14:6-9

Joshua and Caleb were faithful. “And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not.”

They knew that the Lord was with them. They didn’t have anything to fear. They knew that they were the chosen people of the Lord. Why would they fear some large men? I love how they said, “they are bread for us.”

We should have this level of confidence when we are doing what the Lord wants us to do. Right now, Marci and I are putting together a program for service missionaries. It’s a big project and we often feel like we aren’t up to the task.

We probably aren’t. But, with the Lord, it will get done. If we rely on him, we can accomplish anything that he wants us to. We feel like we’re doing the right thing. It’s the Lord’s work. He will make sure it gets done one way or another. It feels like the Lord is with us.

14:11, 19-20

The Lord is disappointed in Israel for wanting to “bade them with stones.“ Seriously? They are so afraid and angry that they want to kill Joshua and Caleb? “And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?”

Of course, Moses stands up for the people. “Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.” Moses is relying on the mercy of the Lord. “And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word:”

14:21-24

However, there were consequences to their rebellion. ”But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it.”

This is serious. The Lord is saying that these men will never see the land of their inheritance. There are real consequences for rebellion and faithlessness. This may sound harsh but, again, I think the Lord is playing the long game. He understands what the result will be if he allows these men who aren’t heartening to the Lord to make it to the promised land. It would likely turn the whole nation off-course. The Lord is doing what it takes to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of as many of his children as possible.

However, for Caleb, there is a different destiny. “But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.”

21:3-7

The Lord protects and blesses the Israelites. The Lord “heartened unto the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities.“ What a blessing! You’d think they would be very grateful. Nah.

Things changed when they had to journey some more. “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.” They forget the blessings and their gratefulness that they were just feeling! “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.”

When things are a struggle, they murmur. It is obviously in our nature to quickly forget our blessings and focus on our struggle. They had just had the Canaanites delivered to them - yet they immediately complain. They blame Moses. It appears that they are usually attempting to use guilt to provoke Moses. I hate it when people do that…

The Lord responds appropriately. “And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. 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.” It’s not enough for a prophet to cry repentance. Usually, the Lord has to do something drastic for us to realize our dependence on the Lord. It often takes disaster for us to desire to repent. It’s a weakness of the natural man.

21:9

So, the Lord instructs Moses. “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.” It’s an interesting solution - and a test of faith.

“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.” Do we think there were people who DIDN’T look at the brass serpent?

There were some who didn’t. Why didn’t they? The solution was so simple. But, it was a test of faith.

The question is, do we do the same thing? Has the Lord given us simple things to do that will spiritually heal us? Yes, he has.

President Nelson is a very clear-speaking person. Every general conference, he gives us simple things to do. How diligent are we in doing those simple things?

We‘ve been told to read the scriptures daily. We’ve been told to attend the temple. Etc. Because of the simplicity of the direction, we sometimes discount it and not heed what he says. We need to not set simple direction aside. We should assume that doing simple things is precisely what will heal us spiritually.

22:12-18

Balak is attempting to convince Balaam to curse the Israelites. “And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.” I should mention that God initially tells Balaam to NOT go with the princes. It is important that we stay out of the vicinity of temptation. If we know we may be tempted in a location, we should steer clear of that location.

Batak didn’t take no for an answer “And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they.” Balak is using status to pressure Balaam. I’m sure that usually worked for Balak. He also used pride. “For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me.” Again, I’m sure this worked most of the time.

But Balaam resisted. “And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more.” I wish we all had this strength to resist the temptation of pride and worldly honor for God’s purposes.

Balaam had prepared spiritually before this event. He had decided that he would put the Lord first. If he had waited until he was in the middle of the situation to decide what he could choose, he might have been more likely to choose worldly benefits over God’s will. His perspective was correct.

23:11, 19-20

Instead of cursing the Israelites, Balaam blesses them. Balak isn’t pleased. “And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether. And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the Lord hath put in my mouth?“ It’s very clear to Balaam what he must do. He must do what the Lord tells him. He honors the Lord more than Balak.

Balaam further explains. “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.” I love that this is so simple for Balaam. It should be this simple for us when we’re tempted with what the world has to offer.

24:11-13

Balak finally realizes that he isn’t going to manipulate Balaam. “Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the Lord hath kept thee back from honour. And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the Lord, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the Lord saith, that will I speak?” For now, Balaam does not give up his integrity for worldly honor and wealth.

For Balaam, his desire to obey God’s will outweighed any worldly benefit. He saw life from the right perspective. That perspective was earned long before this temptation. He saw things as they are. He knew the purpose of life. He knew how this life fit with the plan of salvation. He understood the value of money vs. his the value of eternal life. In his mind, there was no comparison.

This perspective gave him strength to resist temptation. We should all try to be this way.