This Weekend's Reading is Numbers 21...
My thoughts on this reading...
Part of Numbers 21 is very familiar to us. We hear about Israel grumbling against Moses and the Lord again, (surprise, surprise, you think they would learn!) and as a result they wind up facing punishment in the form of fiery serpents! We of course hear about this story right before John 3:16 when Jesus said that as Moses lifted up a serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of Man would be lifted up, because God so loved the world!
One of the things I think is important to note is that while the Lord provides a mean of healing and forgiveness with about as simple as a task to do receive life, look at a serpent on a pole, and live... but God doesn't remove the snakes, which I think most of us would think would be the way to solve the problem. Perhaps the Lord felt a little sting from a snake bite would be a good antidote!
Along with hearing about the defeat of King Sihon and King Og, there is a little part of Chapter 21 that I must admit that I have forgotten. I don't remember having read the story of the Song of the Well. I'm not sure why it hadn't stood out to me before, but I find it a little bit interesting in its message... it was the Lord who provided the water, but they speak of those who dug it.... seems to me they should have acknowledged the Lord in their little song.