All That Jahaz

Numbers 21: 21-35

And the traveling continues.

Israel seeks permission from the Amorite king to pass through promising to keep on the King's Highway- staying out of vineyards and wells along the way.  King Sihon makes a bad decision and instead of allowing passage, decides to confront the Israelites.  So a battle ensues at Jahaz and the Israelites do well (having God on their side and all).  They overtook all the cities of the Amorites and moved themselves in, including Heshbon where Sihon lived.

Perhaps mockingly Moses quotes a poem recounting Sihon's previous victory in taking Hashbon for the Amorites from the king of Moab.  The poem describes the great victory and restoration of the city to come under Sihon.  But here, Israel is the new inhabitant.  The poem may even be included to stress that Israel didn't just conquer some psuedo-army.  This is a force mighty enough that their battles resulted in poetry.  This is an army of legendary status... and they fell when confronted by God's chosen.

Spies went out into Jazer and the Israelites overthrow there too, driving out the newly relocated Amorites likely still reeling from the loss and destruction recently handed to them. 

Not detered by the Israelite victory, King Og of Bashan marched out with his army to meet the Israelites as they appraoched his city.  God tells the Israelites to buck up- I'm going to deliver him and his land just like I did the Amorites.  So the Isralites enter into battle and it's not pretty.  The Israelites don't leave a single survivor and take the land.

It seems that this passage illustrates the beginning of God's promise coming true.  He's delivering on this whole land thing and God's people may be starting to see the fruits of the generations of wandering in uncertainty.

It's hard for me, though, to not consider the perspective of the slaughtered here.  This context is so foreign to where we are and how we live that it's perhaps impossible to understand the concept of slaughter in God's name.  Maybe these were bad people, but the reading here suggests that they were folks defending what was their's- and the Israelites don't just displace them- they follow them to their new home and drive them out of it, too. 

I like this story much more as a metaphor of God's promises than as a reality of pain, death, and woe.  But regardless, it can serve as a reminder of God following through on what He promises and the folly of getting in His way.

Well, Well, Well
Numbers 21:10-20


This passage might be interesting if you're a scholar of bible geography.  I am not.

Most of the section seems to deal with the route of the Israelites- they hit Oboth, Iye Abarim, the Zered Valley, and near the Arnon which is the border between Moab and the Amorites.  This mini travelogue ends with an odd reference to "The Book of the Wars of the LORD."  I have no idea what this book is- but I'm surprised there isn't a really bloody movie based on it.

Then they travel on to Beer where God gives them water- which seems like a practical joke.  And when they reached the city called Prime Rib, God gave them some baloney.

But does this reference mean they traveled all of this way without water?  It might make it easier to empathize with their complaining spirits if they're going days without something to drink- especially days spent on the road.  They may not have dared to complain with the snakes around- and their throats may have been too dry to whine too much.

They are so happy to get water they write a song about it- or at least sang one:
 Spring up, O well! 
  Sing about it,
 about the well that the princes dug,
   that the nobles of the people sank—    the nobles with scepters and staffs.

To my knowledge, this was only a local hit, not getting much airplay internationally.  It was slightly more successful than their anthem about animal sacrifice called "Talkin' Dead Ram Blues" off the album "Blood on the Altar".

The section ends with more travel information.  They made it to Mattanah, Nahaliel, Bamoth, and finally ended up in "the valley in  Moab where the top of  Pisgah overlooks the wasteland."

I hope this is setting up something big, it doesn't seem to have much meat on it's own.

Snakes Alive!
Numbers 21: 4-9


How quickly the tone changes.  Verses ago they vanquish the enemy with the Lord's help, here they're back to complaining.  The Israelites head toward the Red Sea in attempt to avoid Edom- which is interesting in itself.  We'll ask for help to demolish entire cities, but these Edomites are a little too much for us.

But they got impatient on the long path, perhaps a bit grumpy from the realization of their own cowardice, and start shouting out things like- Are we there yet?  Why did we leave Egypt?  Just to die in the wilderness?  Moab won't stop poking me! There's no bread or water!  Can we take a bathroom break?  This food is terrible!

God reaches His breaking point and does more than just pull the car over and take off His belt.  He sends venomous snakes among them resulting in many Israelite deaths.  It seems like most of them should be dead by now with all of this killing.

Not surprisingly, the Israelites change their tune.  Umm, Moses- we might have been a little hasty with that whole we love Egypt bit.  In fact, we've sinned.  Could you maybe do something about these snakes?  Put a good word in for us with that whole prayer thing?

So Moses prays, but instead of God removing the snakes, He tells Moses to make a snake and put it on a pole- and if you get bitten, look at the snake and you'll live.  So Moses makes a bronze snake that serves as healing for the poisoned travelers.

This is a weird story.  Why not just get rid of the snakes?  Or the Israelites?

Perhaps God wants to cut down on the whining.  Removing the snakes would allow them to quickly fall back into complain-mode but an occasional bite on the ankle and glance to the bronze reminder might just keep them in check.

And maybe our prayers work this way too.  We pray for deliverance- but God may not end our problems.  Instead, He may create a way for us to deal with them.  And when we look at the snake, or the cross, or whatever balm has come our way we find peace and hopefully remember who supplied it.

Totally Arad
Numbers 21: 1-3


Short section today that starts out a bit like Little Red Riding Hood.  The Israelites are skipping down the road to Atharim when the big bad wolfish king of Arad hears about it, attacks and captures some of them. So Israel makes a deal with God: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy their cities” (like, totally).


So God does...and they do.  And they named the place "destruction."


This is a weird little story.  First, we're miles behind the whole turn the other cheek thing that will come into play much later. But it's troubling that not only do the Israelites think it's a great idea to annihilate these people, God's right on board with it, too.  The destruction is the bargaining chip.   If you release our people for us, we'll kill these people for you (at least that's how I'm reading it).  Why would this be appealing to God?  Maybe it's to teach neighboring communities that you don't mess with Israel, maybe it's to prove the devotion of His followers- but it seems like there could have been much less brutal problem solving method to the situation.


Second, The Israelites aren't just following orders- they come up with this master plan- and they sell it.  They are able to bargain with God.  Millions have tried since, with varied results- but here it's clear that God was willing to work out a deal with them.  I'm not sure what the implications are for us, I still think it's dangerous ground, or maybe less than smart.  God offers what we need by asking, I'm not sure pledging grand, hard to live up to gestures makes these requests any more likely to come true.  


God, please forgive my sins is much better than- God, if You forgive my sins I'll never do it again.... words I may not be able to live up to.  God certainly wants our commitment, but we don't need to haggle with Him for His blessings.

The End of an Aaron


Numbers 20: 22-29


So the group makes it to Mount Hor- and God has a less than happy announcement.  He tells Moses and Aaron  to have Aaron and his son Eleazor go up the mountain- this is the end of the line for Moses' brother. There's no indication that Aaron is sickly, or close to dying- he simply is not going to be allowed to enter the promised land because of that whole water striking incident.  Aaron's clothes are to be removed and put on his son.  This seems to be a passing-of-the-baton ceremony.  I think these ceremonies are more dignified when they don't require old men to take their clothes off.

This punishment is especially interesting because I'm not really sure what Aaron did.  All the action mentioned earlier in the chapter is Moses centered, but Aaron is punished- and punished before Moses.  Maybe this is because Moses is doing the telling.  Is he simply taking all of the blame as a "humble" narrator and we don't have a real sense of how Aaron was actually involved?

This must have been unsettling to Moses on two levels.  Not only is he about to lose his brother, but he has to guess that bad things are coming to him, too.  We're both to blame..he's about to die- now I just wait to find out my own fate.

Moses, his brother and nephew go up the mountain, but only Moses and Eleazar come down.  When the community hears of Aaron's death, they mourn for about a month.

This is a difficult passage to dig a moral out of.  Sin will get you in the end?  God doesn't forget?  Even God's leaders are prone to fall?  Not even Aaron can get to the promised land?

Maybe the bigger lesson is Jesus appreciation.  Without Him, we may find ourselves with the same fate as Aaron, dying on a mountain after struggling so long in the wilderness.