14 Fiery Serpents

The children of Israel are continuing their journey through the desert. In the last lesson they were complaining about their food and water again. That was when Moses finally lost his temper and struck the rock instead of speaking to it as God had instructed. Now as they move forward they are about to pass through the land of Edom.

Numbers 20:14-17
14 And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us: 15 How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers: 16 And when we cried unto the LORD, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border: 17 Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king’s high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders.

Remember that God had promised that they would be able to go through unmolested and that they could buy water from them as well?

  • Deuteronomy 2:6
    Ye shall buy meat of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them for money, that ye may drink.
  • But because of their complaining and unbelief and delay in trusting the Lord, the favorable situation had changed. How did the Edomites react?
  • Numbers 20:18-21
    18 And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword. 19 And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing any thing else, go through on my feet. 20 And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand. 21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.
  • The Edomites were not allowing them to even pass through the land itself, never mind buying water from them. And so they had to turn away and go another path and direction.

As they continued their journey’s after being turned away from the land of Edom, another event of significance took place.

  • Numbers 20:24-29
    24 Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah. 25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor: 26 And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there. 27 And Moses did as the LORD commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 28 And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount. 29 And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.
  • Aaron, Moses’ brother and high priest of Israel would pass away.
  • Aaron has been by the side of his brother from the beginning when God called Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. And now Moses would have to stand alone without the company of both his brother and sister.
  • But Aaron especially had been his constant support and help. And though the children of Israel mourned for Aaron for thirty days, it was Moses that most keenly felt the missing presence of his brother.
  • It was also a reminder that his own death was soon approaching. The judgment that God had pronounced on him and Aaron when he struck the rock instead of speaking to it.

Numbers 21:1-3
1 And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners. 2 And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities. 3 And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah.

  • Soon after, the Canaanites would attack the children of Israel and take some prisoners. But as they turned to God and asked for help, God would answer and give them the victory.
  • However, soon after something happened to make them quickly forget about God and His constant watch care and provision for them.

Numbers 21:4-5
4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. 5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

  • They began to murmur again about the same thing that they had been experiencing through their whole time in the desert. Food and water. They just never learn their lesson.
  • Notice they say that there is no bread. Yet at the very end they said that their souls despised the light bread of manna that God had provided for them. They were contradicting themselves in the same breath.
  • And the accusation is always the same. They’re accusing Moses of bringing them out of Egypt to kill them in the wilderness.

How does God react this time?

  • Numbers 21:6
    And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
  • Immediately the Lord brings swift justice and punishment. He sends fiery serpents to come out and bite them. And it’s not so much that God sent the fiery serpents, but that He withdrew His protecting care upon them.
  • Deuteronomy 8:15
    Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint.
  • God had led them through the wilderness and had been protecting them from all harm and danger. They were unaware of this fact. And as a result, they were so ungrateful.
  • To a great extent, many of us are not aware of God’s watch care over us as well. We don’t realise how God has protected us and saved us from so many dangers. We ought always to be grateful for life, for His guidance, and for His protection.
  • So now God removes that barrier of protection and these fiery serpents come out and bite them.
  • All of a sudden they realise that their murmuring of the past situation of food and water is small in comparison to these venomous snakes. Quickly they are humbled and come to Moses.

Numbers 21:7
Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

  • They ask Moses for help and ask him to pray to God for them. And Moses, as always, is willing and ready to bear them up to God. Even though they are constantly murmuring against him, his love for them is greater than the offences that they have committed against him.
  • This is where we see the importance of the forty years that he spent in the wilderness taking care of sheep. God was training him to be patient and long suffering. To have a loving watch care over a flock who constantly make mistakes and rebel and speak against him.
  • Sometimes we wonder why our lives don’t seem to be advancing. We worry about our careers or our studies. We worry, and maybe even our parents and friends worry, that our lives don’t seem to be going anywhere – at least not according to the worldly standard. But maybe God is preparing us. Maybe He’s training us in the wilderness. He’s getting us ready for a greater work which cannot be done by worldly methods, by degrees. But can only be successful as we have the character of Christ and a firm reliance on His word and prayer.
  • This was the most important lessons that Moses had to learn in the wilderness. Not human wisdom or eloquence. But learning to depend fully on God and trust in His timing.

So when the children of Israel cry to Moses and Moses cries out to God, instead of taking away the snakes on his request, God asks Moses to do something.

  • Numbers 21:8-9
    8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. 9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
  • Moses had to make a serpent of brass. The very serpent that was biting them. Then he put it on a pole and all those that looked at the serpent would be healed in an instant from the venomous snake bite.
  • It seemed like something so simple. Yet there were many in that day that did not look at the snake on the pole. It seemed too absurd to them. It seemed TOO simple. Surely they could not be healed from venom by just looking at a snake on a pole!
  • But you see, this was a test of their faith. God wanted to see how many would believe His word and just simply look!
  • At least if you had even a small measure of faith, maybe you didn’t believe FULLY, but you just tried as there was no harm in trying, you would have looked and would have been healed.

Now why did God instruct Moses to make a serpent? The very same thing that was killing them was to be fashioned and put on a pole and made to be their healing remedy. What did this snake represent?

  • John 3:14-15
    14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
  • It represented Jesus who would be lifted up one day to die on the cross.
  • Yes the serpent also represents someone else as well.
    • Revelation 12:9
      And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
    • It represents the devil.
  • And sin has stained all of us. We all have been hurt by the sting of sin and the devil.
  • But Jesus, He came to save us from that sin. How?
  • Philippians 2:7-8
    7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

    • Jesus became man to taste death for all of us.
  • Galatians 3:13
    Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.

    • Christ became a curse for us.
  • He came in the form of humanity to save us from the sting of death and sin. That’s why the saving instrument was the same as that which bit them. That’s why Christ is represented as the serpent.
  • Matthew 8:17
    That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

But notice, in order for the people to be healed, they had to do something. What was it?

  • They had to look at the brazen serpent. They had to turn their heads to it and look. No one could force them to look. They themselves had to look for themselves.
  • And in the same way, there is still something for us to do today for our own salvation. Jesus is the only One that can save us. We are saved totally and thoroughly by grace. But there is still a part for us to play. We must look and live!
  • John 3:16
    For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

    • We must believe!
  • John 6:37
    All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

    • We must be willing to come to Jesus.
  • Matthew 11:28
    Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

    • We must come.
  • When the prodigal son was sitting in the pig sty after having wasted away all of his father’s inheritance, what did he say to himself?
  • Luke 15:17-18
    17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee.

    • The prodigal son had to arise and go back to his father. He had to make that choice to get up and return.
  • Yes friends, there is a part for us to play. We cannot save ourselves. We can’t work our way to heaven. The sufficiency is all found in Christ.
    • Acts 4:12
      Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
  • However, we must be willing to go to Him. We must be willing to believe. We must be willing to arise. We must be willing to look and live!

How do we look and live today? How do we come to Jesus and behold Him?

  • Matthew 6:33
    But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

    • We must come to seek God and His righteousness.
  • How do we do that?
    • John 5:39
      Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
    • It’s seeking Him in His word. That’s how we can behold Christ.
    • We must have an interaction with His word on a daily basis.

How can we have more of an interaction with God’s word daily?

  • Psalms 1:2
    But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

    • We can meditate on the word of God by reading it daily.
  • Romans 10:17
    So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

    • Listen to sermons and people preaching straight from the word of God.
  • Psalms 119:11
    Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

    • Commit scripture to memory. Give yourself an aim to memorize a book of the Bible. We can start with a book that only has one chapter. That will give us satisfaction in completely memorizing one whole book!
  • Ephesians 5:19
    Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.

    • Listen to good wholesome music that reminds you of the Lord. Especially scripture songs!
  • We must do our best to surround ourselves with the reminder of God’s word and His constant presence. We must be careful to never lose sight of Christ and His goodness.
  • Only as we lose our focus on Him and the world becomes more apparent that it is easier for us to complain about His guidance and His goodness and His leading in our lives because we forget so quickly all that He has done for us.

Let us not be like the children of Israel of old and keep on repeating their mistakes that the scripture is trying to warn us of. Yes, there is a work for us to do. There is something that we have to do if we wish for Christ and the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. We must look and live. And we must make that effort to look today. We must take time aside and fill our hearts and minds with His word.

The more time we spend in the scriptures, we will find a thousand gems hidden below the surface. The more that we search, the greater will be our interest. Every day we can learn something new from the scriptures if we would search through them as we would for hidden treasures, for they contain words of eternal life. If we would do this, we would find new glories in the word.

Let us set our eyes and our hearts and our minds on eternal things today. Let’s give greater time to His word and we will find our efforts rewarded in a greater thirst and desire for the heavenly home and a changed life!

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