Numbers 21:4-8 (NIV) 4They 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 snakes 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 snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people. 8 The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live."
John 3:14-17 (KJV) 14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Life can seem like we are dancing our way through a snake pit. Sometimes we dance through rather successfully; other times we get snake bit. We try to be conscientious in our work and something goes awry. We try to be a good friend and are betrayed. We want to have a good marriage and it does not work out. We try to do everything right with our children and something goes wrong. We are sailing along in good health, and then we get the test back from our doctor. Sometimes we may wonder if God is the one throwing in the snakes.
If we believe God is throwing the snakes into the pit of our life, we read God wrong. The misery of the snakes was a natural consequence to a lost confidence and faith in God. The pole with the serpent was given as a way to keep faith and confidence in God alive and active.
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whoever believes in Him and accepts God’s gift may have eternal life. Jesus raised on the Cross calls us to faith and confidence in God. At a time when God seems most distant, the Cross says, “God cares.” There are consequences to behavioral choices, and the consequence of accepting God’s gift of Jesus’ death is life. This is the strange paradox. What looks like death gives life. In our worship, daily devotional time, and in prayer we must focus on God’s gift of life in Him until the eyes of Christ rest on us and, like the sun, penetrate our pride and our worry, our bitterness and rebelliousness.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope March 9, 1997
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles
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