Digging for Water with a Scepter Text: Numbers 21:10-20
Introduction: The Geography of Obedience
The book of Numbers is a book of marches. It is a book about a great throng of people moving from point A to point B, from slavery in Egypt to liberty in the Promised Land. But as we all know, their journey was not a straight line. It was a forty-year, meandering object lesson in faith, rebellion, judgment, and grace. Our modern sensibilities, which prefer efficiency and comfort, tend to view this wilderness period as a colossal waste of time. We read the long lists of obscure place names, the camping and the setting out, and our eyes glaze over. We want to get to the highlight reel, the battles and the miracles.
But in God's economy, the journey is the point. Every step, every campsite, every dusty mile is freighted with theological significance. The geography of the wilderness is a map of the human heart in its relationship to God. Israel's physical location was always a direct reflection of their spiritual location. When they grumbled, they were met with serpents. When they obeyed, they advanced toward the land. When they were thirsty, God tested them to see if they would trust Him.
In our text today, we find Israel on the move again. They are on the eastern border of Moab, poised to begin the final leg of their journey. The generation that rebelled at Kadesh has died off, and a new generation is learning to walk by faith. And in this short travelogue, we find three remarkable things: a citation from a lost book, a song about a miraculous well, and a lesson about leadership and provision. This is not just a dry itinerary. It is a record of God's faithfulness, a demonstration of true worship, and a picture of how God's people are to live and advance in the world. It teaches us that God's provision follows God's people, but it often requires them to put their own shovels, or even their scepters, into the ground.
The Text
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. 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." 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." Then Israel sang this song: "Spring up, O well! Sing to it! The well, which the leaders dug, Which the nobles of the people carved out, With the scepter and with their staffs." 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.
(Numbers 21:10-20 LSB)
Progress and Boundaries (vv. 10-15)
We begin with the travelogue itself:
"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." (Numbers 21:10-13)
This is the steady rhythm of a people on the march. Set out, camp, set out, camp. This is the life of faith. It is not a static condition but a pilgrimage. We are always moving, always advancing. But notice the precision. They are moving "east toward the sunrise," toward the new day, toward the land of promise. Their path is not random; it is directed. And it respects boundaries. The Arnon is the border of Moab. God had told Israel not to harass the Moabites, the descendants of Lot (Deut. 2:9). So they are skirting the edge, respecting the lines God has drawn. This is a picture of mature obedience. They are not arrogantly trampling over everyone, but are moving with disciplined purpose within the bounds God has set for them.
Then we have this fascinating parenthetical note in verses 14 and 15, a quotation from an extra-biblical source.
"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.'" (Numbers 21:14-15)
Now, this makes some people nervous. The Holy Spirit is quoting a book that we don't have, a book that is not part of the canon. Does this undermine the authority or sufficiency of Scripture? Not in the slightest. The apostle Paul quoted pagan poets on Mars Hill (Acts 17:28). Jude quotes from the book of Enoch (Jude 1:14-15). The biblical authors were not operating in a vacuum. They were part of a literate culture, and they could refer to other historical records to make a point. The point here is geographical and historical verification. The Spirit is saying, "This isn't some made-up journey. This is real history, in a real place, and other books even record the details of this region." The inspiration lies not in the "Book of the Wars of Yahweh" itself, but in the Spirit's authoritative selection and inclusion of this particular quote in the inspired text of Numbers. He is commandeering a secular source to bear witness to the truth of His Word. All truth is God's truth, and He can press any source into His service to make His point. This is a display of sovereign confidence, not weakness.
The Well and the Song (vv. 16-18)
The narrative then moves from the borderlands to a place of miraculous provision.
"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.'" (Numbers 21:16 LSB)
Once again, the people need water. This has been a recurring theme. Earlier, at Meribah, the people grumbled, and Moses struck the rock in anger, dishonoring God and forfeiting his own entry into the land. But here, something different happens. There is no record of grumbling. There is simply the need, and God's gracious promise to Moses: "Assemble the people, that I may give them water." God is the giver. Water in the desert is a gift of pure grace. It is life itself, and it comes from Him alone.
But how does God give this water? The response of the people is not to complain, but to sing. And the leaders do not just stand by waiting for a handout; they get to work.
"Then Israel sang this song: 'Spring up, O well! Sing to it! The well, which the leaders dug, Which the nobles of the people carved out, With the scepter and with their staffs.'" (Numbers 21:17-18 LSB)
This is one of the oldest recorded poems in the Bible, and it is a marvel. It is a song of faith. They are singing to the well, calling forth the water that God has promised. This is not some magical incantation; it is a joyful, expectant command rooted in the promise of God. "Spring up, O well!" This is what robust, masculine worship sounds like. It is not the sentimental, self-focused drivel that passes for worship in many of our churches today. It is bold, declarative, and focused on the mighty acts of God. They are singing to the well, but they are singing about Yahweh, the provider.
And notice who does the work. "The leaders dug... the nobles of the people carved out." And what were their tools? Not shovels and pickaxes, but "the scepter and with their staffs." The very instruments of their authority and rule were used to dig for the water God promised. This is a profound picture of godly leadership. True leaders do not sit back and issue orders from a distance. They put their own skin in the game. They use their authority, their scepters, not to lord it over the people, but to serve them and to lead them in obtaining God's promised blessings. They are leading the people in an act of faith. God provides the water, but He uses the faithful, scepter-driven work of the leaders as the means. This is the biblical pattern: divine sovereignty and human responsibility, working in perfect harmony. God gives the growth, but Paul must plant and Apollos must water.
On to the Goal (vv. 18-20)
Refreshed by the water from the well, the people continue their advance.
"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." (Genesis 21:18-20 LSB)
The names themselves tell a story. Mattanah means "gift." Nahaliel means "valley of God." Bamoth means "high places." They move from the gift of water, through the valley of God's presence, up to the high places. This is the trajectory of the Christian life: from grace to glory. And where does it end? At the top of Pisgah, the very place from which Moses will view the Promised Land. They are at the threshold. After forty years, the goal is in sight. Their patient, obedient plodding, fueled by God's gracious provision, has brought them to the doorstep of their inheritance.
The Scepter and the Living Water
Like every part of Israel's story, this is our story. It is a picture of the gospel. We are all born in the wilderness, thirsty and without hope. We are by nature grumblers and rebels, deserving of the serpents of judgment. But God, in His grace, promises water.
That water is Christ. Jesus stood in the temple and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:37-38). He is the well that springs up to eternal life. He is the Rock that was struck for us, from whom the water of the Spirit flows.
And how do we receive this water? We receive it by faith, a faith that sings. Our worship should be like the song of the well, a bold, joyful declaration of God's promises. We are not to be passive consumers of a religious performance. We are to be active participants, singing with robust faith, calling upon God to do what He has promised to do. "Spring up, O well!" should be the cry of our hearts in worship, in prayer, and in our work in the world.
And this gospel life requires leadership. The leaders of God's people, elders in the church and fathers in the home, have a particular duty here. They are to take up their scepters, the authority God has given them, and dig. They are to lead their people to the living water. A father leads his family in worship, digging into the Word of God with them. An elder governs the church, not for his own benefit, but to carve out a channel through which the grace of God can flow to the people. They use their staffs of authority not to beat the sheep, but to guide them to the water source.
When God's people are led by men who dig with their scepters, and when they respond with the song of faith, the result is progress. We move from the gift (Mattanah), through the valley of His presence (Nahaliel), to the high places of victory (Bamoth). We are brought to our own Pisgah, from which we can see the glorious inheritance that Christ has won for us, a kingdom that cannot be shaken. So let us sing to the well. Let our leaders dig. And let us march on together, toward the sunrise.