Day 3–Serpent on the Pole
Scripture reading for May 20: Numbers 21: 5-9 “And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loath this worthless food.” Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.”
As God’s people wandered in the wilderness for forty years, they became grumpy and complained about the journey and God’s food supply and water supply. They blamed leadership for their issues and by implication blamed God in a deadly fit of unbelief. As a consequence, God allowed fiery serpents of the desert to bite these people and their poison venom brought death. This consequence caused the people to confess their sin of unbelief and ask Moses to ask God for deliverance from the snakes and death. As Moses was faithful to intercede for the people, God told him what to do. He was to make a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. It was lifted over the camp of God’s people. All who in faith would look upon that serpent with sincere repentance would be healed.
As first responders in the medical field look at this story, something should come to mind. The symbol for the medical field is two snakes coiled around a pole. This ancient remedy, according to Jesus Christ, was a symbol of His own crucifixion on the cross where He took the curse of our sins, sickness, and disease in His own body for our healing. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.” (John 3:14-15) All who bear the sentence of death from Satan’s poisonous lies can find healing and eternal life by looking at Jesus crucified and resurrected.
Prayer: Father God, What amazing mercy You show to us who are sinners bitten by sin’s poison! We look thankfully to Jesus Christ for healing and mercy. Use us to lift His healing banner. Amen.
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