The Pulpit Commentary — Numbers — Section 293

his Son" (Rom. viii. 32; Gal. iv. 4, 5; cf. Wisdom xvi. 6, 7, 12). 6. In both cases a resemblance between the destroyer and the deliverer. The brazen serpent a deliverer in the likeness of the destroyer; Christ a Saviour in the likeness of the sinner (Rom. viii. 8). But the serpent was without venom, and Christ without sin. 7. Delive:-ance was provided not by words, bu~ by deeds. The Son of man, like the serpent, lifted up. 8. In both cases a declaration of God's plan follows its appoint- ment. Moses proclaimed to the camp the heaven-sent remedy, and "we preach Christ crucified.:• 9. -1-,n approI?riati_on, of God's offer required : "when he looketh," "whosoever believeth. Salvation limlted to those who trost. 10. No obvious con- nection between the means and the result. The serpent and the cross "foolishness" to the scoffer. 11. Saving faith impossible without "godly sorrow working repent- ance" ( cf. ver. 7; Acts :o. 21 ; 1 John i. 9). 12. The offer of salvation made to all, and the effect of faith alike in all. Of. ver. 9 and the world-embracing "whoso- ever. "-P. Vera. 4, 5.-A hard biJ, of the road. "The soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way," L THE ACI'UAL BEA.SON FOB DISCOUllA.GEMRNT. Discouragement and trouble of mind because of the difficulties of life is of course very common, but a great deal depends on where the difficulties come from. Here we are plainly told the dis- couragement arose be,C<JJ1ue of tht way. 1. It appears to have been a bad bil of the road in ihelf. None of the way over which the Ieraelitee had travelled since they left Egypt could be called easy. They had begun with a strange experience, march- ing through the depths of the sea, and ever since they had wandered in the wildemeBB in a solitary wa7.; they found no city to dwell in. For forty years they had been accustomed to wilderness life, but the district through which they were now passing is, by the description of travellers, desolate and repellent in an extraordinary degree. So the course of the Christian, all the way through, is subject to external difficulties and hardships, and the more :faithful he is, the more these may abo1md, and at certain stages they may be so increased and intensified as to become well nigh intolerable. Discouraged by different tbings at different times, there may come a time to us, ns to Isruel, when we shall be especially discouraged because of tht way. 2. it came a;; a sort of rebuff after God had given, them, special, eMOuragement. For forty years they had been under chastisement, a doomed, dying, hopeless generation, but recently God had brought them back to Kadeah, and made the dry, forbidding rook to pour forth plenteously for the thirat of man and beast. Man ie easily lifted up by anything that satisfies his senses, and gives him a visible support, and when it subsides he ie correspondingly depressed. The desolate district through which the people passed probably looked all the worse because of the hopes which had been excited in them at Meribah. 3. It was parti.c-ularly ve:x:atious because tM1J had been turned out of a more direct, way. They were compassing the land of Edom, because brother Edom, of whom Israel expected kinder things, had closed the way through hie land with a drawn sword. Even though the road had been pleasanter in itself, the very £net that it was circuitous was enough to cause some annoyance, II. THIS ACTUAL BEASON WAS NOT SUFFICIENT. It was natural enough, to some extent excusable, but not a reason worthy of the people of God. 1. It pointed to purely external dijftcuUus. It was by no fault of Israel that it found itself in this cheerless and starving place. Canaan was not a land easy to get into, and the Israelites had been shut up to this road, difficult as it was. We dishonour God greatly when we are discouraged by difficulties rising entirely outside of ourselves. The lees of help and comfort we can discern with the eyes of sense, the more we should discern those unfailing comforts and resources which come through a childlike dependence upon God. The Israelites wanted a Habakkuk among them to say, "Though the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines ; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." 2. Phtre was a negligent and unqrateful <>mi.uion, to WMi.der naaO'Mfor encouragement. Even if the way was hard, 1t was a merer there was a way at an. The way through Edom, direct 11nd easy as it lookeq, Oil. :ltJ. 4-9, 1 TBE BOOK o:r NUMBERS. 271