Numbers 21:4 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.
Here we encounter one of the real, everyday enemies of a living faith--Discouragement. Discouragement is defined as the act of disheartening, or depriving of courage; the act of deterring or dissuading from an undertaking; the act of depressing confidence. If I could, I would like to give you a working definition from this dictionary definition. Discouraged is the state of being robbed of courage and the confidence in God needed to continue living out the faith of Christ in daily life.
Now we can be sure that the same thing that discouraged these people of God is the same thing that will discourage us today if we are not careful. The latter part of verse four points out the main reason for discouragement then and now to be the challenges of the way. They had encountered many obstacles along their journey and they allowed these to rob them of courage and confidence in God. We too meet with many obstacles both internal and external as we seek to pattern our lives after Christ and His teachings. The Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapters five through seven, provide many challenges to the person that desires to live an honest and biblical life. Living out these principles of a biblical faith is the way in which God has chosen for us to walk, and it is a daunting task more akin to a mountain climb than a Sunday stroll.
Numbers 21:5 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.
Unfortunately, we are prone to react badly when faced with the difficulty of the way. Like Israel, if we are not careful, we find ourselves complaining when we should be climbing. We will sink to complaining of God's choice of leadership and blame our leaders for the difficulty of the way. It is easy to blame our failure to continue in a living faith on others and lack of provisions, but we must keep in mind it didn't work for Israel. Finally, if crying, "It's their fault" and complaining, "I don't have what it takes" doesn't work, we complain about God's provisions. In this stage we see the provision of God, but it isn't enough.
Numbers 21:6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
So what happens when we allow ourselves to be discouraged by the challenges of a living faith and regress to the point of complaining about everything and everyone God has placed in our lives? Problems multiply and the way gets harder. Many times our complaining only magnifies the obstacles and multiplies the hindrances to our progressing along the way. Nothing good ever comes of complaining and blaming.
Numbers 21:7-9 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. 8 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. 9 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.
So how do we get out of this mess? For Israel the only way out was confessing their sin and by faith placing confidence in a brass serpent on a pole to take care of their problems when they were bitten. As for you and I, we simply need to follow their pattern. Confess our sins of fear and doubt. Confess our failure to live out the faith of Christ daily. Then put our confidence in the one that the brazen serpent pictured-- the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:14-15 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.). It will not make the way any easier but it will give us the courage and confidence in God we need to press on the upward way!
Daily Devotional: John 18:1-11 Jesus Willingly Taken
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