Numbers 21:10 - Meaning and Application

Here we have an account of the stages and moves of the children of Israel until they came to the plains of Moab. From there, they finally crossed Jordan into Canaan, as we read at the beginning of Joshua. In natural things, motion is often faster when something gets closer to its center. So the Israelites, now drawing near to their promised rest, set out again, as the verse says, "they set forward" (Numbers 21:10). It would be good if we did the same on our way to heaven, making more progress near the end of our journey and growing more active in the Lord’s work as we come closer to him.

Two things stand out in this short account of their moves. First, God gave his people great success near the brooks of Arnon (Numbers 21:13-15). They had now gone around the land of Edom, which they were not to invade or even disturb (Deuteronomy 2:4, 5), and had reached the border of Moab. It is good to remember that there is more than one route to Canaan. The enemies of God’s people may slow them down, but they cannot keep them out of the promised rest.

The text is careful to show that Israel obeyed God’s command not to act against the Moabites (Deuteronomy 2:9), because they were the descendants of righteous Lot. So they camped on the other side of Arnon (Numbers 21:13), on the side that was then under the Amorites, one of the nations marked for judgment, though it had once belonged to Moab, as Numbers 21:26-27 shows. This restraint toward the Moabites was later used by Jephthah, the judge of Israel, in his argument against the Ammonites (Judges 11:15).

We are not told in detail what Israel did at Arnon, but the account points us to "the book of the wars of the Lord." This may have been a record that began with the war against the Amalekites (Exodus 17:14), and to which later battles were added. Or the verse may mean that in recounting the Lord’s wars, people were to speak of what he did at the Red Sea when he brought Israel out of Egypt, and what he did at the brooks of Arnon just before bringing them into Canaan. In praising God’s mercies, it is good to trace their order and see how his goodness has followed us step by step, from the Red Sea to the brooks of Arnon. We should remember what God did at this time and at that place, and not let any of his works pass unnoticed.

Second, God supplied his people with water at Beer, which means "well" or "spring" (Numbers 21:16). Earlier, the text says they camped in Oboth, which means "bottles" or "skins," perhaps because they had filled their water containers there for the journey. By now, those supplies may well have run out, as happened with Hagar when "the water was spent in the bottle" (Genesis 21:15). Yet we do not read that Israel complained. So in mercy, God brought them to a well, to teach them to wait on him in quiet trust and believe that he sees their needs even when they do not speak of them.

In this world, our comforts are at best like water in a bottle, limited and short-lived. In heaven we will move to Beer, the well of life, the fountain of living water. Earlier, when Israel got water, they asked for it in bitter complaint, and God gave it while displeased. Here it is different. God gives in love: "Gather the people together," he says, "and I will give them water" (Numbers 21:16). He grants the blessing before they ask, going ahead of them with his goodness.

They also received it with joy and thankfulness, which made the gift twice as sweet (Numbers 21:17). They sang, "Spring up, O well!" and by that song they gave glory to God and encouraged one another. Promised mercies must still be sought in prayer, but when God answers, we should meet his gifts with glad praise. We draw water from the wells of salvation with joy (Isaiah 12:3). As the bronze serpent pointed to Christ, who was lifted up for our healing, so this well points to the Spirit, who is poured out for our comfort and from whom flow rivers of living water (John 7:38). If God causes such a well to spring up in our souls, we should sing over it, take the comfort for ourselves, and give the glory to God. We should stir up that gift and say, "Spring up, O well, fountain of gardens, to water my soul" (Song of Solomon 4:15). We may also plead the promise that seems to echo this story, "I will make the wilderness pools of water" (Isaiah 41:17, 18).

This miracle was also preserved in song rather than only in place names. Earlier, the names had remembered the people’s strife and grumbling. Now the praise itself kept the memory alive (Numbers 21:18). "The princes digged the well," likely means the seventy elders, under the direction of the lawgiver, that is, Moses, acting under God. With their staves, they made holes in the soft sandy ground, and God caused water to spring up in the holes they made. In the same way, the faithful Israelites later passed through the valley of Baca, a dry and thirsty place, made wells, and God filled the pools with rain from heaven (Psalm 84:6).

Notice two things here. God promised water, but they still had to open the ground to receive it and give it a way out. So we should expect God’s gifts while using the means that are in our hands, remembering that the power is still God’s. Also, the nobles of Israel were eager to take part in this work. They used their staves, likely the symbols of their honor and authority, for public service, and that is recorded to their credit. It also gave the people confidence, because those who were in charge were shown to be instruments of God’s help.

This showed that the spirit of Moses, who was soon to die, rested in some measure on the nobles of Israel. Moses did not strike the ground himself, as he had done with the rock before, but gave them direction to do it. In that way, their staves shared in the honor of his rod. They could take comfort in knowing that when Moses left them, God would not leave them. They too could be public blessings in their generation, as long as they acted under the direction of the lawgiver.

We should look for comfort only while walking in the path of duty. If we want to share in God’s joy, we must carefully follow his direction.