Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible Recap.

There are two things in today's reading that have perplexed me over the years, and I'm excited to talk about them with you.

We're closing it on the promised land, but there are still a few people from the old generation

that disbelieved God, so we know they can't enter yet.

Today the people continue toward Canaan, carefully routing around Edom, since the King of Edom

has denied them passage. Unfortunately, they ran into another king who pounces on them and

take some of their people captive. Going on the

defense, Israel asks God for help and promises to destroy the pagan cities of these Canaanites

if God will help them win. And God did. As they continue on, they hit another food and water

shortage. So instead of asking God for help, like they know they can, they complain

about both Moses and God. They don't complain to Moses, just about him. They take their problems to

everyone except the people who can solve them. But even though they're not talking to God,

God hears. And he sends some snakes to kill them, which seems to fit with his plan to wipe out

the older generation. When the people confess and repent, realizing their sin for what it is,

Moses prays for them and God shows mercy. God tells Moses to make a fiery serpent on a pole,

and if anyone is bitten, they can look at the fiery serpent and they'll live.

This is the first thing I find perplexing, especially because it seems like God is ordering Moses to break the Second Commandment. How is crafting a serpent any different than crafting a calf?

The distinction is that they weren't worshipping the serpent. It was a sign of God's provision and rescue pointing back to Him.

Eventually, we see that it does become an actual idol for the people,

and they begin to worship it and make offerings to it,

and it has to be destroyed in 2nd Kings 18.

As far as the Second Commandment goes,

...