Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Numbers
Book: Numbers
Chapter: 21
Overview:
The
Canaanites of
Arad destroyed.
(1-3) The people
Murmuring,
are plagued with fiery serpents, They repenting, are healed
through the brazen
Serpent.
(4-9) Further journeys of the
Israelites.
(10-20) Sihon and
Og overcome, Their land possessed.
(21-35)
1-3 Before the people began their march round the country of
Edom, the
King of
Arad, a
Canaanite, who inhabited the southern
part of the country, attacked them in the
Wilderness, and took
some prisoners. This was to lead the Israelites to look more
thoroughly to the
Lord.
4-9 The children of
Israel were wearied
By a long march round
the land of
Edom. They speak discontentedly of what
God had done
for them, and distrustfully of what he would do. What will they
be pleased with, whom
Manna will not please? Let not the
contempt which some cast
On the
Word of God, make us value it
less. It is the
Bread of
Life, substantial
Bread, and will
nourish those who
By Faith feed upon it, to eternal
Life,
whoever may
Call it
Light Bread. We see the righteous
Judgment
God brought upon them for
Murmuring. He sent fiery serpents
among them, which
Bit or stung many to
Death. It is to be feared
that they would not have owned the
Sin, if they had not felt the
smart; but they relent under the rod. And
God made a wonderful
provision for their relief. The Jews themselves say it was not
the sight of the brazen
Serpent that cured; but in looking up to
it, they looked up to
God as the
Lord that healed them. There
was much
Gospel in this. Our
Saviour declared, Joh 3:14,15,
that as
Moses lifted up the
Serpent in the
Wilderness,
So the
Son of Man must be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him,
should not perish. Compare their disease and ours.
Sin bites
like a
Serpent, and stings like an
Adder. Compare the
application of their remedy and ours. They looked and lived, and
we, if we believe, shall not perish. It is
By Faith that we look
unto
Jesus, Heb 12:2. Whosoever looked, however desperate his
case, or feeble his sight, or distant his place, was certainly
and perfectly cured. The
Lord can relieve us from dangers and
distresses,
By means which human reason never would have
devised. Oh that the venom of the old
Serpent, inflaming men's
passions, and causing them to commit sins which
End in their
eternal
Destruction, were as sensibly felt, and the danger as
plainly seen, as the Israelites felt pain from the bite of the
fiery serpents, and feared the
Death which followed! Then none
would shut their eyes to
Christ, or turn from his
Gospel. Then a
crucified
Saviour would be
So valued, that all things else would
be accounted loss for him; then, without delay, and with
earnestness and simplicity, all would apply to him in the
appointed way, crying,
Lord, save us; we perish! Nor would any
abuse the freeness of
Christ's
Salvation, while they reckoned
the price which it cost him.
10-20 We have here the removes of the children of
Israel, till
they came to the plains of
Moab, from whence they passed over
Jordan into
Canaan. The
End of their pilgrimage was near. "They
set forward." It were
Well if we did thus; and the nearer we
come to
Heaven, were
So much the more active and abundant in the
work of the
Lord. The wonderful success
God granted to his
people, is here spoken of, and, among the
Rest, their actions
On
the
River Arnon, at Vaheb in
Suphah, and other places
On that
River. In every stage of our lives, nay, in every step, we
should notice what
God has wrought for us; what he did at such a
time, and what in such a place, ought to be distinctly
remembered.
God blessed his people with a supply of water. When
we come to
Heaven, we shall remove to the
Well of
Life, the
Fountain of living waters. They received it with joy and
thankfulness, which made the
Mercy doubly sweet. With joy must
we draw water out of the wells of
Salvation, Isa 12:3. As the
brazen
Serpent was a figure of
Christ, who is lifted up for our
cure,
So is this
Well a figure of the
Spirit, who is poured
forth for our comfort, and from whom flow to us rivers of living
waters, Joh 7:38,39. Does this
Well Spring up in our souls? If
So, we should take the comfort to ourselves, and give the
Glory
to
God.
God promised to give water, but they must open the
ground.
God's favours must be expected in the use of such means
as are within our power, but still the power is only of
God.
21-35 Sihon went with his
Forces against
Israel, out of his own
borders, without provocation, and
So ran upon his own ruin. The
enemies of
God's
Church often perish
By the counsels they think
most wisely taken.
Og,
King of
Bashan, instead of being warned
By the fate of his neighbours, to make peace with
Israel, makes
War with them, which proves in like manner his
Destruction.
Wicked men do their utmost to secure themselves and their
possessions against the
Judgments of God; but all in vain, when
the
Day comes
On which they must fall.
God gave
Israel success,
while
Moses was with them, that he might see the beginning of
the glorious work, though he must not live to see it finished.
This was, in comparison, but as the
Day of small things, yet it
was an
Earnest of great things. We must prepare for fresh
conflicts and enemies. We must make
No peace or truce with the
powers of
Darkness, nor even treat with them; nor should we
expect any pause in our contest. But, trusting in
God, and
obeying his commands, we shall be more than conquerors over
every enemy.