Numbers
chapter 21 contains one of the most amazing symbols in the entire Old
Testament. It picks up immediately after the death of Aaron the
priest (in the previous chapter), again symbolizing the passing of
the old generation. We were also told in chapter 20 that the king of
Edom refused to allow the Israelites to pass through his country,
forcing the nation to take the long route to the Promised Land.
Chapter 21 begins, “When
the Canaanite king of Arad… heard Israel was coming… he attacked
… and captured some of them. “Then Israel made a vow to the
Lord: If you deliver these people into our hands, we will totally
destroy their cities.”
We read that, “The
Lord listened to their plea and gave the Canaanites over to them“.
So far the new generation is doing what the previous generation
refused to do; they were honoring God.
As
the nation began to move toward the Red Sea (away from the Promised
Land), “to
go around Edom“,
the people grew impatient. “They
spoke against God and Moses“.
Interesting but previously they had spoken against Moses and Aaron,
but now they speak against God.
They even complain about the miraculous provision of daily bread,
“And
we detest this miserable food!”
“Then
the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and
many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We have
sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you”… so Moses
prayed for the people.”
Notice, this new generation immediately repents. Like you and I,
they are not perfect, but they know to seek God when they stumble.
God directs Moses to “Make
a snake and put it on a pole; anyone that is bitten can look at it
and live“.
Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole, “Then,
when anyone looked at the bronze snake, they lived“.
Don’t
miss the picture given here. The snake is a symbol of evil and
bronze is a symbol of judgment, so sin is being judged, and all the
people have to do is look at it to be healed. Jesus refers to this
in John 3:14-15, “And
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the
Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not
perish but have eternal life.”
The sin of mankind was judged on the cross and the penalty was paid
completely. All that is required for us to be healed completely from
our sin is to believe Jesus died in our place. Sadly, I believe
there were those in Israel that were too stubborn to look at the
serpent and live. I believe they died because they would not look at
their sin being judged. Maybe it was too silly,
maybe they were too busy, maybe they were too proud, but the result
was the same. John 3:18 gives us this ominous conclusion, “Whoever
believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is
condemned already because he does not believe in the name of God’s
one and only Son.”
If you feel the biting of the world around you, it’s time to look
up to the Savior and be restored!