A search of Numbers 21:1-9:
King Arad, a Canaanite, who lived in the south "...heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners" (21:1). Then, Israel turned to God for help. They vowed to God in an acceptable manner which resulted in a favorable outcome for Israel--the Canaanites were delivered by God which resulted in the destruction of them along with their cities (21:2,3). Israel had worked in cooperation with God.
Israel left the area called Mount Hor and traveled by 'way of the Red Sea' around the land of Edom which discouraged them (21:4). They complained against God and 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" (21:5).
"And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died" (21:6).
"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" (21:7).
"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" (21:8).
"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" (21:9).
Two ways of approaching God were exemplified by Israel in these verses. "Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of the spirits, and live" (Hebrews 12:9)? Which way do you choose to approach God?
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