Tag: Numbers 21:5-9
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.
Ancient snake-bite remedy!
Scripture Reading for February 16: Numbers 21-25
As they were guided by God through the desert wilderness, the Israelites were doing what they did best–grumbling! As they grumbled against Moses and God, God sent poisonous snakes which bit the complainers and caused death. (Numbers 21:5) The Israelites asked Moses to pray for them and confessed their sin. (Numbers 21:7) God answered Moses as he prayed with some strange instructions. He was to make a bronze serpent and place it on a pole in the camp. Anyone who was bitten by the poisonous serpent could look at the bronze snake on the pole and he would be healed! (Numbers 21:8-9)
What can we learn from this ancient story? One lesson is that sin causes death! God has repeated this over and over but His people seem to forget! Another lesson is that grumbling against leadership isn’t pleasing to God. When we do, we are actually grumbling against God. A third lesson is that when sin’s consequences come, we run to our leaders for help and prayer–and God does answer. We then must have faith to do what God asks in order to be saved or healed! True faith is obedience to God’s revealed truth.
In John’s Gospel, Jesus referred to this story. The snake that was lifted on the pole is a picture of Jesus Christ crucified. He was made sin, Who knew no sin, that we might be healed from the serpent’s poisonous bite. If we will look with faith to Jesus and His finished work on the cross, we will be saved and healed! God loves His people and wants to save them from the poison of sin’s bite and the consequence of sin–eternal death! (John 3:14-18) If we refuse the remedy provided by God, then we will die! This ancient snake-bite remedy turns out to be the only remedy for all mankind!
Have you been obedient to God’s Word in dealing with sin in your own life? Was there a time in your life when you asked another believer or Christian leader to pray for you? Thank God today for providing His “snake-bite” remedy through His Son, Jesus Christ.