King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Wednesday, March 04, 2026
Chapters: Numbers 20-21
Message: Numbers: The Bronze Serpent
Hello My Friend,
Thirty‑eight years had passed since God sentenced the Israelites to forty years in the wilderness for their rebellion, and nearly all the elders had already fallen. As we continue in the reading of Numbers, we learn that Miriam died, and as the people gathered to bury her, the entire congregation began to come unhinged, Moses included when they realized that there was no water for them to drink.
[Numbers 20:1-4 Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there. 2 And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. 3 And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! 4 And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?]
Remember, most of these people were the younger generation yet they still carried the same complaints and the same longing for Egypt. After all this time, they still could not let go of Egypt, nor could they trust the God who had sustained them for nearly four decades in the wilderness. I can understand why they were disappointed when God declared that anyone over the age of twenty would not enter the promised land, but they brought it on themselves. And they brought up the deaths of the rebels as if God had wronged them, yet refused to acknowledge that they wronged God with their unbelief. If there is one thing that will stop God in His tracks, it is unbelief, [Hebrews 11:1,6 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.]
Moses and Aaron walked to the entrance of the Tabernacle and fell on their faces, no doubt overwhelmed with the same question: What are we supposed to do with these people? It was in that posture of desperation that the glory of the Lord appeared. God gave them clear instructions on what to do so the people could receive water.
[Numbers 20:6-9 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them. 7 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. 9 And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.]
I can almost hear the tone in Moses’ voice when he spoke to the people, worn down by decades of their complaints and shaken by the fresh grief of Miriam’s death. But what he was about to do in anger and haste would change his and Aaron’s fate forever. God had commanded them to speak to the rock, yet Moses allowed his anger to overtake him. Instead of honoring God before the people, he struck the rock, and in that moment his disobedience carried consequences that neither he nor Aaron could escape.
[Numbers 20:10-13 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? 11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. 12 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. 13 This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.]
Notice that he struck the rock twice, this tells us that God had given him the opportunity to realize what he was doing. Speaking to the rock would have demonstrated unmistakably that the Lord Himself was among them and that His power did not depend on human force or frustration. It was probable that Aaron told him to hit the rock the second time, which may explain why God told them both that they did not believe in Him and denied them entrance into the promise land. Rules are rules, and if we are going to go against the rules, even if influenced by someone else, then we only have ourselves to blame when God is displeased and takes something from us, [James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.]
The true test of our faith often comes when God has denied us something we deeply desired. Now, with Moses and Aaron both denied entrance into the promised land, another test of their faith arose. The nearest route to Canaan from where they were encamped ran directly through the territory of Edom. And like any established nation, Edom would not simply allow a foreign people to march through its borders without permission. Moses therefore sent messengers to the king of Edom, requesting peaceful passage. But the king refused, denying them the right to cross his land.
[Numbers 20:14-15,17,20-21 And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us: 15 How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers: 17 Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king’s high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders. 20 And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand. 21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.]
There is much to learn from this moment. First, repentance truly does go a long way. Had the older generation humbled themselves when God first pronounced judgment, their story might have ended differently. Second, the repercussions of sin never fall on just one person; they ripple outward and can affect an entire household, an entire community, even an entire nation. And third, there is no easy road to the promised land. The way is straight, and no one will enter by their own attempts to bypass God’s requirements. If we try to get in on our own terms, then we can forget about it altogether, [Matthew 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.]
This is also a reminder that our time on earth is short, and we often waste so much of it living in doubt and fear that we lose sight of why we are here in the first place. We are here to leave a Godly legacy for our children, whether they are connected to us biologically or spiritually, to follow after us. Aaron’s life is a sobering example of this truth. His time on earth had come to an end, and God commanded Moses to take him back to the place of his birth, Mount Hor.
[Numbers 20:22-26,28 And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh, and came unto mount Hor. 23 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying, 24 Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah. 25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor: 26 And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there. 28 And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount.]
God was speaking specifically about Aaron’s high priestly garments. He was to remove them, hand them to his son, and in that moment the priesthood would pass from one generation to the next. It is a powerful reminder that we are not promised tomorrow; we are given today, and we cannot put off until tomorrow what God has called us to do right now. Our time on earth is brief, and every day we delay obedience is a day we cannot get back. If God has called us to lead someone to Christ, then we are responsible to do so, because we are the ones who know the truth. Those who know the truth are accountable to share it, to live it, and to pass it on to the next generation.
[II Corinthians 4:3-6 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.]
As you can imagine, the Israelites were deeply discouraged. They had just endured a long and exhausting march around the land of Edom, Aaron was now gone, and now one of the Canaanite kings attacked and captured some of their people. Their grief quickly turned into anger, and this time their frustration was not directed at Moses alone, they turned their anger toward God Himself.
[Numbers 21:4-6 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. 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. 6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.]
Did you ever have a discouraged soul? You feel as though everything you do is for nothing, and no matter how hard you try, nothing seems to change. That is usually the moment when I say that God has to “take a bite out of us”, not literally, of course, but He does allow something sharp enough to get our attention. Discouragement does not just weaken us; it invites us to question God, to doubt His goodness, and to forget His faithfulness, [James 1:13-14 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.]
I tell you what, God does not have to lift a finger to send judgment on those who only pretend to be Christians. They bring it upon themselves. The sad thing is that such people can pressure God’s faithful into actions that bring trouble on them as well. We must ask ourselves honestly: Are we guilty of this? Do we need God to send fiery serpents upon us to wake us up? Thankfully, God is merciful. Even when He allows judgment to fall, He also provides a cure. In Israel’s case, God commanded Moses to make a rod with a brass serpent upon it.
[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.]
The very first, and truly the only, reason the Israelites who looked at the bronze serpent were saved was not the act of looking at it. Their salvation began by their faith and the second Moses prayed for them and made intercession on their behalf. In the same way, Jesus intercedes for us long before we ever call on Him. He prays for us, He draws us, He convicts us, and He opens our eyes to our need for salvation. Then, when we finally pray by faith, that is the moment we “look to Jesus and live.” The looking is the outward expression, but the saving work began with the intercession of the One who stands between us and judgment, [John 3:13-15 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14 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.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for Your Word that teaches us everything about You. We do not need a special degree to understand You, we just need to have faith in You. Even through we live by faith in Your Son saving us, at times our faith does lack, and when that does You can deny us earthly things that You promised us. We can become discouraged, frustrated, and even angry as we think about what we have lost. Lord, Let us be reminded that even though Your deny us some earthly things, we are still granted access into Your Kingdom, because we have believed in Your Son, and received Him as our Saviour. You are truly the One who meets all our needs. There is nothing we lack when we commit our faith and trust in You and obey Your commands. Keep our hearts open so that we may follow Your will, and receive all that You have for us, and let us not get deceived by those who encourage us to go against Your will. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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