November 4, 2023

Protesting about what God is doing in your life is a bad idea; don’t do it! God had protected the Israelites from the creatures in the wilderness desert, but once again, they complained about their food and water, so God released the creatures to do their thing. According to scripture, these creatures were flying, stinging, or biting serpents! You’ve got to wonder if only portions of the camp were part of the original complaining and didn’t see the results of the ones who complained before, but humans are hard-headed and can repeat their dissatisfaction; we all know certain personality types whose primary focus is complaining. Whatever the case, people were getting bitten by this poisonous creature and dying. So he told Moses to create an image of the creature and put it on a pole and stand it in the middle of the camp so that anyone who saw it would not die. It doesn’t seem that he drove the creatures from the camp but gave them the option of healing if they looked at the pole with the creature. I’m guessing that the emblem of the snake on a pole for doctors came about from this portion of scripture. 

It’s interesting that Jesus was lifted for all to see and became sin for us, much like we view a snake as sin. Jesus replaced that emblem, and it is our healing and the only way to avoid the eternity of death in hell. We still have to walk among the serpents and may get bit occasionally, but we have Jesus as our ultimate healer. Whatever struggle you are walking through right now, fix your eyes on Jesus; he is the author and finisher of our faith!

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. Numbers 21:8

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2