Sunday School Lesson for September 16, 2012
Numbers 21:4-9 ~ The Bronze Serpent
4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”
6 Then the Lord sent venomous serpents among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the serpents away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a serpent and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a serpent and looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
After the Israelites lost their trust in God in Numbers 13-14, and the consequences was that they had to wonder the desert for 38 years more. It was finally time for the descendants to go to the Promised Land in Canaan. The Israelites wanted to go through Edom, but the Edomites did not want them to go through. God instructed them to go around Edom, because the Edomites are the brothers of the Israelites, and they should do as the Edomites wish.
In verse 6, God sent serpents to bite the people, and when they were bitten, they died. This was the consequences of them losing their faith that God would take care of them. They had been complaining about the Manna, and that they would have to go the long route around Edom, instead of going through it. Their complaining is a temporal sin, and would not be forgiven. They were showing Impatience, Arrogence and were unthankful. They did not want the longer jourey, they were arrogent in not giving God credit for their victories, and were unthankful, because they were loathing the Manna that God had provided for them.
In verse 7, they went to Moses, because they realized that they had sinned, and wanted God to forgive them, and take away the serpents.
In verse 8, the Lord instructed Moses to make a fiery Serpent on the end of a pole, and if anyone who had been bitten would not die. God did not take aware the serpents, because of the Israelites temporal sin, of complaining, but he did forgive their sin. The people would still get bit, but would not die, because they asked for forgiveness, but still suffered the temporal punishment (bite), but not the ultimate punishment (death). The Serpent could be a symbol of death or of life, just as water could be used to save a life or to kill (Noah, Splitting of the Red Sea).
We can see Christ in this story, as he is on every page of the Bible. With our Faith comes Grace. The Israelites did not have to see the Bronze Serpent to believe, but had to have faith to go look at the Bronze Serpent. You can see Christ in this message, just a Christ says in John 3:14, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.”
When we look to Christ for forgiveness, he will forgive us, and we will not suffer the ultimate punishment, Eternal Damnation, but will receive his Grace, and Enteral Salvation with God. In our sin we need not be dismayed, because Christ became the Serpent, Lamb, Savior on the Cross, with one purpose to be forsaken by God, and to carry the sins of the children, so that we will never be forsaken by the father, because of what Jesus did on the cross and in the resurrection for us. God will pay any price for us, and he had the ultimate price, with his Son Jesus on the cross. When we look up to Jesus, he saves us eternally.
When we sin, we should always took to Jesus for forgiveness, so that we will not suffer the ultimate punishment, but that Christ will live in us. Let us humble ourselves before Christ, just as he humbled himself so that we will not be forsaken by God.
If you want to hear more about this subject make sure to check out Issue Etc for more information on this subject other other, where you will find Christ in us!
Lisa
Lisa's Quilting Passion 