God delivered Israel from Egyptian slavery and led them towards the Promised Land. The Israelite crossed Arnon River, that is the Modern Wadi al Mujib in Jordan, on the east of the Dead Sea. Arnon River was the boundary between Moabite and Amorite territory. There, the Lord commanded Moses to gather the people together so that he could give them water. “Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well! —Sing to it! — the well that the princes made, that the nobles of the people dug, with the scepter and with their staff.” (Numbers 21:16-18)
Promise: The older generation that had the nostalgia of Egypt had often wanted to go back and have died in the wilderness. Miriam died, Aaron died, soon Moses will die, an era will be over. The second generation did not have any memory of the bitter past of Egypt, hence they had looked towards the future of the Promised Land. Moses as commanded by God gathered the people to remind them of the Promised Land.
Provision: It is believed that the well was there, dug by princes, but covered with a thin layer of bushes, mud, and leaves. They need not dig with spades or other instruments. Just using scepter and rods, the cover was removed, and water sprang up.
Song: The song could be understood as worship, celebration, praises, thanksgiving, and prayer. This song expresses the feelings of traveling caravans in the East. The Israelite saw that as provision of God, a gift from Heaven.
Blessing: As Moses struck the rock, water came gushing. In the similar act, they hit the earth and expected water to ascend above or spring up. The song also marks the beginning of the conquest of the Promised Land.
Spiritual application: Alexander Maclaren writes: “Jesus dug the well with the staff of His cross; but we wish that the Spirit, who is as a fountain of living water, fed from eternity and returning to its source, may spring up within it with greater volume and force.”
Do I worship the Lord for His Promises, Provision, Blessings?