Numbers 21 - The Brazen Serpent and a Lost Book

As I expected, things are really beginning to move now. The narrative is starting to speed up, and the Israelites have begun their strategic march through the inhabited regions that border the Promised Land. They are stirring up conflicts left and right, though so far their victories have been quick and easy. The central feature of Numbers 21 seems to be the brazen serpent, a serpent sculpted of brass and set on a standard, which, according to God's command, was to heal the Israelites who had been bitten by venomous snakes. It's interesting to note here that we have yet another example of God calling for a graven image to be constructed for the benefit of the people. Just like with the cherubs on the ark, the Bible makes it clear that a graven image can be a beneficial thing. It becomes a problem only when people misuse it, e.g., begin to worship it as if the object itself were divine. Apparently, King Hezekiah, centuries later, faced this problem, and was forced to destroy the brazen serpent that had dated back to Moses's time.

Another interesting thing about the brazen serpent is that, strangely enough, it has been seen as a traditional symbol of Christ. One wouldn't think that a snake, usually associated with Satan, would represent Christ, but the symbolism is actually rather remarkable. First of all, there is the physical symbolism, as the snake was to be set upon a standard, so that it almost looked like the creature was hanging upon a cross. But, more so, the symbolism lies in the fact that the brazen serpent maintains the image of the vile creature without its actual poisonous qualities -- just as Christ came in the form of a human (a vile creature in comparison to God's perfection) but without the sin (the poison) that exists in the rest of us. Also, the brazen serpent was meant to heal, just as Christ is our Healer. I found this to be one of the more fascinating symbols of Christ.

The one other thing I found interesting in this chapter is in the following verse:

"Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the Lord: As he did in the Red Sea, so will he do in the streams of Arnon." (Numbers 21:14)

"The book of the wars of the Lord"? I immediately stopped at those words. Moses seems to be referencing some other book here! Mysterious things like this always fascinate me. What is this book he could be referring to? Is it something even more ancient than the Torah? Is it a contemporary book? My commentary basically says that the jury is out on this one. It appears to be a lost book, something the ancient Israelites knew of, but would be lost before future generations ever could read it. Scholars disagree, however, on the authorship of the mysterious book. Some think it was written by Moses himself, about his skirmishes with the Amalecites found in the Book of Exodus. Others think someone else wrote the book of the wars of the Lord, and Moses is simply referencing it here. It's amazing to wonder about the texts that used to exist, that we know only fragments about, but which will have to remain lost to mankind until the end of days. Perhaps in the next life we will be knowledgeable of these mysteries.

Numbers 20 - The Death of Aaron and Miriam

Numbers 20 relays the deaths of Moses's siblings, Aaron and Miriam. And it seemed to me that this chapter begins to set the tone for the shift in narrative that is approaching. After years and years of sojourning through the barren desert, enduring the people's seditions and murmurings, Moses and all the children of Israel reach the outskirts of the Promised Land. It is very obvious to the reader that there is only one thing that can happen next -- the entering of this Holy Land by God's chosen people. Yet, I've always found it fascinating that God did not intend for Moses to enter this Land himself. Moses, a figure unlike one the world had ever seen, had been doing God's work for quite some time; he had assisted in God's plan to free the Israelites from the bonds of Egypt; he had worked miracles in the desert in order to convince the multitude of God's divine plan; he established the Law that would change the world. And yet he was not admitted entrance to God's Promised Land. And neither were his siblings, Aaron and Miriam.

I think what's so fascinating about this is the symbolism. Moses, Aaron, and Miriam represent, clearly, the Law, the priests, and the prophets of the Old Testament. These things could get the people only so far. They could not, of themselves, open the gates of the true Promised Land.... heaven. Only one person could do that -- Jesus Christ. Therefore, the Old Law and all its accouterments was meant only to bring the people to the brink of the Promised Land, and the New Law, i.e., Jesus Christ, was meant to spiritually and physically lead us into the Promised Land in full glory. The symbolism is immense, especially when one considers the fact that Joshua, the illustrious figure who would physically lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land, is a symbol of Christ. Therefore, we begin to see this immense symbolism play out with the deaths of Aaron and Miriam in Numbers 20. Moses's siblings, though noble and virtuous, cannot enter the Promised Land. They will have to join their deceased brethren and await the coming of Christ from a place not of this world.

Numbers 19 - The Red Cow

Numbers 19 describes a curious ceremony in which a red cow must be immolated as a sin offering, burned, and then its ashes mixed with water to cleanse the unclean. When I read through the chapter the first time, I didn't quite see the point of it. I figured it was an action ordained by God because the people had sinned and needed purification. But there were so many inexplicable details involved in this sacrifice (for instance, why a red cow?) that it had me scratching my head. And, interestingly, I've come to realize that there isn't a lot of explanation in the Old Testament (at least not in the Pentateuch). The Law is laid down, the instructions given, and the ultimate point of it all is left unsaid (not that the people were left completely in the dark, but no one really analyzed what was going on). For me, this leads to one of the most convincing arguments for typology or supersessionism (or whatever other fancy name is out there). When one looks at the Mosaic Law equipped with the New Law given by Christ, one suddenly sees a complete picture, replete with explanations, reasonings, and rationales. It would be as if we were walking around at night in pitch black and suddenly we are given night-vision goggles and everything around us is visible. The Bible gives us no indication that the Israelites understood the ultimate meaning of the rigid code they were told to follow by Moses (in fact, their constant murmuring is indication that they didn't enjoy following something they didn't understand). But for us, living in the age after Christ has fulfilled the Law and illuminated it for us, we can see why the Jews had to do what they did, why the Law was filled with so many seemingly unimportant details, why, for instance, it had to be a red cow! Because it was all pointing to Jesus Christ! When one realizes this, there is no longer a pointless verse in the Old Testament. Every action is symbolic, is a figure for what is to come. The way was being prepared, even as far back as the days of Moses.

The reason I had to touch on the symbolism of the Old Testament is because this particular chapter, Numbers 19, which was originally obscure to me, was illuminated when I realized it was all symbolic. The red cow is Jesus Christ.

"Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee a red cow of full age, in which there is no blemish, and which hath not carried the yoke:
And you shall deliver her to Eleazar the priest, who shall bring her forth without the camp, and shall immolate her in the sight of all." (Numbers 19:2-3)

Christ was sacrificed when He reached the "full age"; He had "no blemish," for He was sinless. He was taken to the High Priest, was led outside the city, and was crucified "in the sight of all." And the parallels continue. The immolation of the red cow was to expiate the sins of the people, as was the sacrifice of Christ. My commentary says, "Thus we perceive the meaning of many things which to the Jews were veiled in shadows." Again, all things were pointing toward Christ. Whether or not Moses knew this is debatable. There are hints in the Bible that he knew vaguely of Someone Who was to come at a later age to save the children of Israel. Alas, it must for now remain as a mystery of faith.

Numbers 17-18: Set Apart

These were some relieving chapters. As a reader, it seems the Israelites have been wandering through the desert for an eternity. And for the majority of their journey they have been murmuring and complaining to Moses. As we saw in Numbers 16, a big part of their discontent is the preferential treatment they see given to Moses and Aaron. Korah tried (and failed) to lead a rebellion against Moses. And the rest of the people couldn't understand why the Levites should be the only ones who could conduct worship, or approach the sanctuary, or receive the first fruits. But God sets this all straight in Numbers 17 and 18. Speaking through Moses, He lays down once and for all the sacred role He wants for the Levites. No one approaches the tabernacle but a priest! No one offers oblations but a priest! No one shall get the best of the oil or the wine but a priest! God wants a certain number of His people set apart.

This, of course, caused me to think of the role of the priest today. Priests of the New Law, just like the Levites of the Old Law, adhere to a completely different set of guidelines. One of my favorite verses from these chapters is this one: "And the Lord said to Aaron: You shall possess nothing in their land, neither shall you have a portion among them: I am thy portion and inheritance in the midst of the children of Israel" (Numbers 18:20). How beautiful! The priest shall have no possessions because he possesses God Himself! One begins to see here just how elevated and sacred God intended His priests to be. This verse also makes me think of the great Saint Francis of Assisi, who kept no possessions and kept himself wholly and completely reserved for God. Unfortunately, through the ages many priests have lost sight of this sacred role of theirs. And when a society's priests begin to accumulate wealth or desire material things, the society itself crumbles. Conversely, when a society's priests live for God alone and forsake the world, the society prospers, in that it enjoys God's favor. Jeremias 31:14 reads, "And I will fill the soul of the priests with fatness: and my people shall be filled with my good things, saith the Lord." It is true that priests enjoy a special place among God's people, but they must sacrifice much in their lives. My commentary notes that when a man decides to become a priest, one of the first steps toward his ordination is a ceremony in which the bishop cuts off a piece of his hair in the form of a cross while the priest-to-be recites Psalm 15:5: "The Lord is the portion of my inheritance, and of my cup; it is Thou that wilt restore my inheritance to me." This of course is a direct reference to Numbers 18:20. I find this to be a beautiful image: the young candidate renouncing the world and all its wealth and possessions, land and commodities, so that he may possess the Eternal One alone. Awesome. Once again we find a direct parallel between the Old Law and the New.

Numbers 16 - The First Schism

It's interesting how one small chapter in the Bible can contain so much significance. Numbers 16 tells the story of Korah (spelled "Core" in my translation) and his sedition. This was a very powerful chapter in that it deals with the ever-present problem of schism and rebellion within a religious system. In a way it was almost relieving to read about a problem that seems so modern yet existed as far back as we can trace religion. It shows that men have always behaved the same. It shows that significant events involving schism, such as the Protestant Reformation, were not unusual or unprecedented. Moses himself had to deal with this issue! Heresies, rebellion, inner strife, and, most of all, man's pride can be seen in Korah's sedition.

It always starts with pride. Korah's main contention was that he couldn't understand why Moses got to be the ultimate authority among the Hebrews in the desert. He questioned Moses's authority, an authority that was granted by God! Korah also questioned Aaron's role as High Priest. (It's interesting to note that Korah himself was a Levite and thus was of the priestly order of the Israelites. Likewise, Martin Luther was a Catholic priest before his defection). Korah, once he had acquired followers, thus created a schism within the hierarchy established by Moses via God's commands. He created a fissure, a rift (making his death by earthquake quite symbolic) among the people of God.

One could say that it was a trying time for the Israelites, and especially for Moses and Aaron. The people had been murmuring for quite some time. They wanted to return to Egypt, they found the desert too unforgiving, they thought they were being led astray, led to their deaths. Of course Moses became a sort of target for all this malaise. As the authority among the people, Moses came to be despised by some of the more grumbling Israelites. And Korah grew the most audacious by calling his authority fraudulent! In another striking similarity, just as Luther preached that every man was his own priest, Korah criticized the highly hierarchical nature of the Levitical priesthood by saying that every man ought to possess the sanctified role that the Levite priests enjoyed. Numbers 16:3 says of Korah and his followers: "When they had stood up against Moses and Aaron, they said: Let it be enough for you, that all the multitude consisteth of holy ones, and the Lord is among them: why lift you up yourselves above the people of the Lord?" The answer to this question is obviously simple: because God said so. What other motive could Korah have had than Pride? Korah believed his own ideas to be superior to the established system God had ordained. And God dealt with him swiftly.

It's safe to say, based on Numbers 16, that God isn't interested in ambitious innovators. The order that God establishes among His people, whether it's the organization of the twelve tribes of Israel or the institution of the Catholic Church, is never going to be flawless because it is run by men. God may initiate the system, but man must carry it out, and man is flawed. Some people see this imperfect system as somehow opposed to God and therefore they take it upon themselves to create a new system. Korah establishes for us a what-not-to-do example. Korah's rebellion caused thousands to perish and created havoc among the Israelites as they struggled on their journey to the Promised Land. Rebellion also caused a war in heaven when Lucifer tried to question God's authority. And rebellion continues to cause strife among God's people, as thousands of schisms plague Christians today. Obedience and humility alone can prevent all of these divisions. Korah had neither of these things.