Commentary - Numbers 21:10-20

Bird's-eye view

This section of Numbers marks a significant turning point. The generation of unbelief has died off in the wilderness, and a new generation is now on the march, poised to enter the Promised Land. This passage, which on the surface appears to be a simple travelogue, a list of obscure place names, is in fact a tightly packed narrative of God's faithfulness and His people's maturation. After the dramatic episode of the bronze serpent, the grumbling ceases and is replaced by forward movement and, remarkably, by song. The Israelites are no longer wandering aimlessly; they are moving with purpose along the border of Moab, heading for the territory of the Amorites. The citation from the "Book of the Wars of Yahweh" and the "Song of the Well" are ancient, embedded fragments of poetry that give us a ground-level feel for the faith of this new generation. They are remembering God's past victories and celebrating His present provision. This is not the faithless complaining of their fathers; this is the confident march of a people who have learned to trust their God, even in the wilderness.

The central theme here is God's unprompted, gracious provision. Unlike the previous instances where water was provided in response to bitter complaint, here at Beer, God promises water before the people even ask. And the people respond not with murmuring, but with music. Their leaders take up their staffs, not to strike a rock in anger, but to dig in faith, and the congregation sings the well into flowing. This is a picture of a covenant people functioning as they ought: God graciously provides, leadership acts in faith, and the people respond with joyful worship. The journey from one obscure campsite to the next is a picture of the Christian life, a steady, faithful plodding from one grace to the next, all of it culminating at the top of Pisgah, with a view of the inheritance.

Outline

Context In Numbers

This passage immediately follows the account of the fiery serpents and the bronze serpent (Num 21:4-9). That incident was the last great grumbling of the wilderness wanderings, a final, bitter echo of the faithlessness of the generation that perished. The healing that came from looking to the bronze serpent seems to have had a spiritual effect as well as a physical one. The tone of the narrative shifts dramatically. From this point on, Israel moves forward in victory. Chapter 21 as a whole records their initial conquests on the east side of the Jordan: the defeat of the Canaanite king of Arad (21:1-3), and soon after our passage, the stunning victories over Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan (21:21-35). This travel itinerary, therefore, is not just a list of campsites; it is the strategic advance of an army on the march, moving from the place of judgment and healing (the serpents) to the place of conquest and inheritance. It is the transition from wilderness discipline to covenantal warfare.

Key Issues

The Plod of Faith

Christianity is not a series of spiritual firework displays. It is, for the most part, a long, steady march. It is getting up in the morning and putting one foot in front of the other. This passage is a wonderful picture of that reality. Oboth, Iye-abarim, Wadi Zered, Arnon, these are not household names. They are the forgotten, dusty campsites on the way to somewhere else. But faithfulness is demonstrated in these unremarkable places. The previous generation wanted the destination without the journey. They wanted the milk and honey without the dust and the heat. This new generation has learned the lesson. They are content to march from one designated spot to the next, trusting the God who leads them.

And in the midst of this plodding, God inserts moments of high grace. He cites their history books back to them, reminding them that their story is part of His larger story of war and victory. And He gives them a well in the desert, a place of unexpected refreshment. And out of their faithful plodding comes spontaneous, joyful song. This is the rhythm of the Christian life: the daily grind, punctuated by reminders of God's epic story and surprising moments of His grace, all of which should produce a song in our hearts.

Verse by Verse Commentary

10-13 Then the sons of Israel set out and camped in Oboth. They then set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness which is opposite Moab, east toward the sunrise. From there they set out and camped in Wadi Zered. From there they set out and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that comes out of the border of the Amorites, for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.

This is the language of purposeful movement. "They set out... and camped." Over and over. This is not the aimless wandering of the previous thirty-eight years. This is a directed march with a clear destination. The geographical details are important. They are skirting the territory of Moab, just as God had commanded them (Deut 2:9). The Arnon River was a significant geographical and political boundary. Crossing it meant they were leaving the wilderness behind and entering the land of the Amorites, their first major military objective. This is the new generation, obediently following the cloud, moving to the edge of the conflict zone. They are not looking back to Egypt; their faces are set "east toward the sunrise," a beautiful phrase suggesting a new day and a new beginning.

14-15 Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of Yahweh, “Waheb in Suphah, And the wadis of the Arnon, And the slope of the wadis That extends to the site of Ar, And leans to the border of Moab.”

Here, Moses, the author of Numbers, quotes from another book, the "Book of the Wars of Yahweh." This was likely a collection of songs and poems celebrating God's victories on behalf of Israel, a book that was known to the original readers but has since been lost to us. This is not a problem for the doctrine of inspiration. The Holy Spirit is perfectly capable of guiding an inspired author to quote an uninspired source, just as Paul quoted pagan poets (Acts 17:28). The point of the quotation is to anchor their present experience in their history. It's as if Moses is saying, "This place we are at right now, the Arnon Gorge? This place is famous. God has worked here before. Remember what the song says?" The poem itself is geographically specific, celebrating a past victory in this very region. It serves to bolster the people's faith. The God who won the battle at Waheb in Suphah is the same God who is with them now as they stand on the banks of the Arnon.

16 And from there they continued to Beer, that is the well where Yahweh said to Moses, “Assemble the people, that I may give them water.”

They move on to a place named simply "Beer," which means "well." And here we have a beautiful contrast with past events. At Meribah, the people contended with Moses for water (Num 20:2-3). Here, there is no contention, no complaint. God takes the initiative. He tells Moses to gather the people, not for judgment, but for a gift. "Assemble the people, that I may give them water." This is pure grace. God sees their need before they complain about it and makes provision. This is a sign of the new relationship God has with this new generation. He is treating them not as rebellious toddlers, but as maturing sons.

17 Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well! Sing to it!

And the people's response is just as remarkable as God's initiative. Instead of grumbling, they sing. This little snippet of a song is one of the oldest poems in the Bible. It is a song of faith. They sing to the well, calling for it to spring up. This is not some magical incantation; it is a joyful, confident command based on the promise God had just given to Moses. God said He would give water, and they believe Him so thoroughly that they sing about it before the water is even flowing. They are singing the promise into reality. "Sing to it!" is a call for corporate worship. This is a community celebrating God's goodness together.

18a The well, which the leaders dug, Which the nobles of the people carved out, With the scepter and with their staffs.”

The song continues by describing how the well was opened. The leaders, the nobles of the people, were the ones who did the digging. And they did it with their "scepters" and "staffs," the symbols of their authority. This is likely a poetic description. They probably used actual digging tools, but the point is that the leaders led the way. They didn't stand off to the side and tell others to do the work. They put their own hands to the task. This is a picture of godly leadership. They use their authority (their staffs) to be the first to act in faith on God's promise, and by doing so, they open up a channel for God's blessing to flow to the people. God provides the water, but He uses the faithful, obedient work of human leaders as the means.

18b-20 And from the wilderness they continued to Mattanah, and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the land of Moab, at the top of Pisgah which overlooks the wasteland.

Refreshed by the water and encouraged by their worship, they press on. The travelogue resumes, listing more obscure place names that mark their steady progress. Mattanah means "gift," a fitting name for the place they went after receiving the gift of the well. The journey culminates at a significant location: "the top of Pisgah which overlooks the wasteland." From this vantage point, they could look out over the Dead Sea ("the wasteland") and see, for the first time, the land of promise. This is the same peak from which Moses would later view the land before he died (Deut 34:1). The journey that began in the dust of Oboth ends with a view of the inheritance. It is a tangible sign that their long march is almost over.

Application

This passage is a microcosm of the Christian life. We too are on a journey from the wilderness of our sin to the promised land of the new heavens and the new earth. Much of that journey is an unremarkable, dusty plod from one day to the next. We must learn, as this generation of Israelites did, to be faithful in the small things, to simply keep marching in the direction God has pointed us.

We should also learn to look for God's grace in the midst of the plod. God has given us His own "Book of the Wars of Yahweh", the Holy Scriptures, which is filled with accounts of His mighty victories. We must constantly remind ourselves of this story, so that when we arrive at our own "Arnon Gorge," we know that the God who defeated Pharaoh and brought down the walls of Jericho is with us still.

Most importantly, we must learn the lesson of the well. God's grace often precedes our awareness of our own need. He promises us living water in Christ Jesus. Our response should not be to grumble that we are thirsty, but to sing. We should sing in faith, believing His promise. And our leaders, our pastors and elders, have a responsibility to "dig" with their staffs. They are to use the authority Christ has given them to preach the Word, administer the sacraments, and lead the people in the faithful work that opens up the channels of God's grace. When God gives a promise, leaders lead, and the people sing, the living water will spring up, and the church will be refreshed for the journey ahead, until we all stand together on the top of the eternal Pisgah and see our inheritance face to face.