Name:
Date:
Section:
Studying the Old Testament Narratives
Passage: Numbers 21:4-9
Instructions:
For this assignment, you will be studying the Old Testament story of The Bronze Serpent
found in Numbers 21:4-9. You will use the template below in order to complete a study of
this passage. In your study, you will use the skills of Observation, Interpretation,
Correlation, and Application that you have become familiar with through your reading in
Everyday Bible Study.
I. Observation
A. I have read Numbers 21:4-9 in both a formal translation (KJV, NKJV, NASB, ESV, or
CSB) and a functional translation (NIV, NLT, or NCV). Highlight the correct
answer. You will find a copy of the NASB, ESV, CSB, and NLT in your my WSB
Library.
oYes
oNo
B. Having read the passage in both formal and functional translation, list at least 2
similarities and 3 differences between the ways both translations cover this story. You
may list as many similarities and differences that you find as long as you meet the
minimum amount.
Similarities Differences
Verse 4 Verse 7
Both books detail the journey of the
Israelites from Mount Hor to the Red Sea
and how the Israelites grew impatient with
both God and Moses. CSB says “Then they
set out from Mount Hor by way of the Red
Sea to bypass the land of Edom, but the
people became impatient because of the
journey” (The Christian Standard Bible).
NIV says “They traveled from Mount
Hor=along the route to the Red Sea, to go
around Edom.=But the people grew
impatient on the way” (Holy Bible, New
International Version NIV).
In the CSB the Israelites asked Moses to
intercede with the Lord and ask him to stop
killing them: “Intercede with theLORDso that
he will take the snakes away from us” (The
Christian Standard Bible)
In the NIV the Israelites asked Moses to pray
to god on their behalf so that they may stop
dying: “Pray that theLORDwill take the
snakes away from us” (Holy Bible, New
International Version NIV)
Verse 6 Verse 8
In both books, the Lord sent venomous snakes
to the people of Israel as punishment for their
attitude towards their God and Leader.
In the CSB God commanded Moses to make
the image of a snake and mount it on a pole
In the NIV God commanded Moses to make a
snake
Verse 9
In the CSB those who looked at the bronze
snake were healed: “Whenever someone was
bitten, and he looked at the bronze snake, he
recovered” (The Christian Standard Bible)
In the NIV those who looked at the bronze
snake lived: “when anyone was bitten by a
snake and looked at the bronze snake, they
lived.” (Holy Bible, New International
Version NIV).
C. Identify the basic elements of the story you are studying
1. Main characters: (List them)
God
Moses
Israelites
2. Plot: (50-100 words)
The Israelites prayed to God to take them out of captivity to the Promised Land. God
heard the cries of his people and sent Moses who was to lead the people out of captivity. The
Israelites got impatient with the journey to the Red Sea as they spent many days in the
wilderness eating nothing but water and bread. The Israelites started to speak against God and
Moses and God punished them by sending poisonous snakes that bit them. The Israelites were
apologetic and asked Moses to intervene as they asked God for forgiveness.
3. Narrative structure: (50-100 words)
Hint: Be sure to consult the section on narrative/story structure given in the tutorial
for this assignment.
Introduction
The Israelites are on their way to the Red Sea from Mount Hor
Inciting incident
The Israelites start to get tired of the long journey and the poor living conditions that they endure
along the way
Rising action
The people start to talk against God and Moses
Climax
God sends poisonous snakes to the Israelites as punishment for their actions
Falling action
The people talk to Moses to help them to ask god for forgiveness
Resolution
God shows his mercy to the Israelites as he gives Moses instructions on how they will be
delivered.
C. List basic observations about this passage using the “Key Question” for observation.
1. Who:
God
Moses
Israelites
Snakes
The bronze snake
2. What:
Moses is leading the Israelites from a life of captivity as commanded by God
The Israelites start to get frustrated from the issues that they face during the journey such
as lack of better food which mostly consists of water and bread.
The Israelites start to talk against God and Moses as a result of their frustrations and the
poor living conditions in the wilderness
God is not happy with the Israelites for their lack of respect to both him and their chosen
leader Moses
God sends poisonous snakes to the Israelites which bite them and end up killing a number
of the Israelites
The Israelites go to Moses and asks him to pray for them and ask God to stop the curse
because they are dying
Moses intervenes and asks God to listen to the Israelites and stop the curse which is
killing them
God hears the cries of his people and commands Moses to make a bronze snake which
will heal the Israelites
The bronze snake heals the bitten Israelites who look at it.
3. Where:
Mount Hor
Red Sea
Wilderness
Egypt
4. When:
During the reign of Pharaoh
Under the leadership of Moses
Under the watch of God
5. Why:
Why are the Israelites in the wilderness? Because it was the will of God to test their faith
Why are they talking against God? Because they were frustrated with the conditions that
they were going through
Why are the Israelites talking against Moses? Because they did not respect his leadership
anymore
Why are the Israelites dying? Because they were cursed by God for their disobedience
6. How:
How did Moses help the Israelites? He prayed to God on their behalf and asked God to
stop the curse that was killing them
How did God save the Israelites? God forgave the Israelites by providing them healing
from the snakebites which were killing them.
II. Interpretation
A. Determine the author’s main point. In 1-2 paragraphs (100-400 words) explain what
you think the author is trying to communicate in this passage. Remember, the Old
Testament narratives frequently communicate truth by showing it to us in story form
instead of telling it to us by way of teaching or sermon. Please remember that words like
“I,” “We,” “Us, and “Our” are application words and not interpretation words.
Interpretation is about “then and there” and not “here and now.” We were not there so the
passage is not about us. Our “part” in the passage is application or how we will respond to
God’s Word.
The story of Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness elaborates how much the Lord
demands patience trust and faith from his people. The Israelites were held in captivity for many
yeas as they asked God to take them out of their misery and lead them to the Promised Land.
God heard the cries of his people so he chose a leader for them who he knew was capable of
leading them to the Promised Land. God was aware of how much little faith the Israelites had so
he made them stay for a longer time in the wilderness just to test them. Being persons of little
faith, the Israelites started to talk against God and Moses and God had to remind them that he is
their one and true God by sending them the curse of the snakes.
The curse of the snakes was their second test and when they saw how serious the curse
was, the Israelites prayed to God and also asked Moses to help them pray and ask the lord to
forgive them and remove the curse. Since he is a God of mercy, he was pleased by the way the
Israelites humbled themselves before him and Moses, God forgave them by eliminating the
curse.
B. Based on your answer above, write out one principle from this passage. You should be
able to express this principle in 1-3 sentences.
God is a just God. God demands his children to put all of their trust in him because he is
the only one who knows what he has planned for his people. God requires his people to have
faith in him and believe that he will always provide for them.
III. Correlation
A. How does this Old Testament narrative fit within the metanarrative of the Bible? State
what type of story you believe this to be (creation, fall, redemption, or new creation) and
explain why you believe this to be so. Your explanation should be 1 paragraph (100-200
words) in length.
The story of Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness fits with the redemption
metanarrative of the bible. This is so because God only wanted to help his people but they were
of little faith and as soon as things did not go as they expected they were quick talk against the
same God who had delivered them from Egypt. This is a message to the Christians who have
little faith and only believe in following the word of God when things are going as they want
them to but as soon as it takes time for their wishes to be fruitful, they forget the word of God
and live a lifestyle that is not Christian like. The narrative of this reading also shows that God is
a loving God and he is ready to forgive his children when they seek forgiveness.
B. How does your principle fit with the rest of the Scripture? This principle is the one you
have written out in 1-3 sentences in the Interpretation section. If your principle is a true
Biblical principle it will be reflected throughout the Scriptures.=Where is the principle
discovered in this Old Testament narrative found elsewhere in the Scriptures? Your
explanation should be 1 paragraph (100-200 words) in length.
The main principle is that God will always provide for his children at his own time and
that is when he feels that it is the right time to provide for his children. It is required that
Christians practice patience with the will of God because sometimes we feel like we deserve to
be provided for at that very moment but that is not always the case since it is God who really
knows when it is best to provide for his people.1 Corinthians13:4 states that “Love is patient and
kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant” (1 Corinthians 13:4,ESV). This scripture
teaches us to be patient when it comes to God and his provisions for us.
C. How does this Old Testament narrative reflect the person and work of Jesus Christ?
State and explain at least one way that the principle of this narrative can be identified in
the person and work of Jesus Christ. Your explanation should be 1 paragraph (100-200
words) in length.
Similar to the story of Moses delivering the Israelites from Egypt and to salvation then
forgiveness, is the story of how Jesus was sent to the world by God to deliver humankind from
sin and set them in a path of eternal love and happiness. Also similar in both situations was how
the children of God were not patient with the word of God hence opted to stick to their evil ways
despite the fact that God was ready to forgive his children and grant them eternity as soon as they
sought forgiveness and were ready to walk in the image of God.
IV. Application
What points of application can be made using the Four Questions for Application? State
and explain 1 point of application for each of these four questions. Your explanation for
each of these points should be 1 paragraph (100-200 words) in length.
A. The question of duty
It is the duty of each Christian to guide and protect his neighbor from following the dark
path. Christians are tasked with being their brother’s keepers to ensure that they remain in purity
together and support one another. Christians are given the responsibility of watching over their
neighbors and ensuring that they do not go astray from the ways of the Lord. Christians are also
given the duty of loving and honoring their God without the inclusion of any other gods or idols.
Christians are advised to love their God with all of their mind body and soul as it the Christian
way to live.
B. The question of character
When it comes to character, Christians are advised to avoid characters such as those of
the Israelites which were filled with doubt, and lack of trust towards the word of the lord. The
Israelites were quick to judge the work of the Lord when they felt like the Lord had forgotten
about them but this is wrong since the Lord does not forget about his people. Christians are on
the other hand advised to copy the character of Moses who was humble and full of faith when it
came to the work of the Lord, he never doubted what the Lord told him and he had faith that he
would ultimately reach the Red Sea as the Lord had promised.
C. The question of goals
Christians are advised to make it their goal to know and understand what they believe in
for the sake of building a strong Christian foundation that will guide them in their journey
towards living under the light of God. The Israelites did not understand what they thought they
believed in because if they knew God, they would have known that they had to be more patient
and he would have provided for them. Moses on the other hand understood that God is faithful
and he never lets his children to toil when he has the means of providing for them. Moses also
understood that the Lord is a forgiving God and that is why he prayed for the Israelites.
D. The question of discernment
Discernment is God’s gift to his people to help them make better judgments as compared
to the non-Christians who live lives that are full of wrong decision making. The Israelites made
the wrong decision to talk against God as their ways of trust towards the Lord were weak and
they did not believe. The bible informs Christians to seek guidance in the scriptures for the sake
of making the right decision all the time. Solomon who was gifted everything that man could
ever own in the world asked God only for Wisdom because he knew that this would help him
conquer all of his enemies and still live a righteous life in the eyes of the Lord.
References
1 Corinthians 13:4,ESV: "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not
arrogant"
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 byBiblica,
Inc. ®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by
permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of
Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
