Numbers 21:4-9
John 3:14-15
"As The Bronze Serpent"
I Israel's Sin
A Israel had been wandering in the desert now for almost forty years. Almost all of those who had come out of Egypt with Moses and Aaron were dead now. This was an entirely new generation. Israel was on the verge of entering the Promised Land. Between them and Canaan was their brothers the Edomites. The Edomites, if you remember, were the descendants of Esau whereas the Israelites were the descendants of Jacob. Moses sent messengers to the king of Edom saying:
(Num 20:17) Please let us pass through your country. We will not go through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the king's highway and not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed through your territory.
But Edom answered:
(Num 20:18) "You may not pass through here; if you try, we will march out and attack you with the sword."
Again Moses requested permission to pass through Edom (Num 20:19). Edom again replied, "You may not pass through" (Num 20:20). Scripture then tells us that Edom came out against Israel with a large and powerful army (Num 20:20-21).
Because of Edom's response, Israel was forced to take a detour on the way to the Promised Land. This detour meant a couple of hundred extra miles for the people of Israel. It wasn't a matter of taking another road – for there was no other road. Israel was forced to travel through desert – with loose sandy soil, drifts of granite, terrible sandstorms, little water, and little or no vegetation. Israel was forced to take the detour, on foot, with all of the women and children and with all their flocks and herds.
B Our Scripture reading tells us the people "grew impatient on the way" (Num 21:4). In their impatience they "spoke against God and against Moses," and said,
(Num 21:5) "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!"
The miserable food they were complaining about was the manna, the bread that God sent down every day from heaven.
This is not the first time the people complained. In fact, they were known for their grumbling and complaining. More than once God, and Moses, called them a stiff-necked people (Exodus 32:9; 33:3,5; Deut 9:13; Ex 34:9; Deut 9:6). To be called stiff-necked is not a compliment; it means you are stubborn and rebellious and complaining. The Israelites complained when the Egyptians were behind them and the Red Sea was in front of them (Ex 14:11ff). They complained about the bitter water of Marah (Ex 15:24). They complained about the lack of bread and meat (Ex 16:2ff). They complained about the lack of water (Ex 17:2). They complained about the hardships they had to put up with (Num 11:1ff). They complained after ten of the spies brought back a negative report (Num 14:2ff).
In Numbers 21 we hear Israel complaining about the lack of bread and water (Num 21:5). They even dared to complain about the manna, the bread of heaven, showered upon them every day (Ps 78:24-25; 105:40; cf Jn 6:31).
Scripture tells us their real complaint was against God and Moses: "they spoke against God and Moses" (Num 21:5). To speak against God and His servant is sin. It is disobedience. It is rebellion. So, in a moment of disgust and impatience and stubbornness the Israelites tossed away all the privileges of being God's people. They were taunting their Lord, inviting Him to cast them off.
C Israel knew better than to complain. After all, the people had witnessed the might and power of God numerous times; over and over again they had seen how God miraculously saved and protected and cared for His people. They, for instance, had witnessed the ten plagues in Egypt (Ex 7ff). They saw what God did at the Red Sea (Ex 14). Between their teeth were pieces of meat from the quail God had sent them from the sea (Ex 16). In jars and sacks was the water God had provided them from a rock (Ex 17). In their ears the thunderous tones of God's voice at Mt. Sinai was still ringing (Ex 20). On their hands was the blood of the Canaanites God gave them victory over at Hormah (Num 21:3).
In spite of all this, Israel turned her back on God and His servant Moses. The people conveniently forgot all that the Lord had done for them and began to complain against Him. In a moment of disgust they threw away all the privileges of being God's people.
This, certainly, is not the main less for us to learn. Yet, it would do none of us any harm to be warned not to be stiff-necked and rebellious like Israel. As the Holy Spirit says in the book of Hebrews:
(Heb 3:7-12) "Today, if you hear his voice, (8) do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, (9) where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. (10) That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.' (11) So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'" (12) See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.
(Cf Psalm 95:7-11)
II Punishment and Confession
A The people of Israel were punished by the Lord for their rebellion. We are told "the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died" (Num 21:6).
As we see time and again, the regrets and the sorrow come after being confronted with wrong doing. It is always that way. King David was that way (2 Sam 12). Peter was that way. Bill Clinton and Rev Ted Haggard were that way. And the people of Israel were that way too. So the people came to Moses and said,
(Num 21:7) "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.
Moses prayed for the people. He acted as an intercessor. Moses interceded for Israel before God's throne and asked God to forgive and to save.
Ths is not the first time Moses acted as an intercessor. When the children of Israel erected the golden calf it was God's intention to destroy them. Moses successfully interceded for the people and God relented (Ex 32:11ff). When the people rebelled after the report of ten of the twelve spies God was exceedingly angry with them. Again, Moses interceded for the people (Num 14:13ff). Moses again interceded at the time Korah, Dathan, and Abiram rebelled against the Lord and His servant (Num 16:22).
B In Moses we see our great Intercessor, Jesus Christ. When we sin it is Christ Who pleads for us before His Father's throne:
(Heb 7:24-25) ... because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. (25) Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
Jesus pleads for you and Jesus pleads for me. He says to the Father, "Forgive them for I have died for them. Forgive them because I have taken their punishment."
III Salvation
A God heard and answered the prayer of Moses. The Lord said to Moses:
(Num 21:8) "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live."
So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake in faith, he lived.
B It needs to be understood that the people of Israel were not saved by the image of the snake. The image did not have any magical or superstitious powers. The power of salvation rested not in the snake but in God.
In spite of this, there were some Israelites who thought the bronze snake had magical powers. We read that King Hezekiah
(2 Ki 18:4) ... broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)
It was God Who saved the children of Israel that day and He did so by grace through faith.
C What, then, was the bronze snake? The bronze snake on a pole was but a symbol of salvation. Along this line, the apocryphal book of Wisdom 16:6-7 calls the bronze serpent
a symbol of salvation; for he that turned himself toward it was not saved by the thing that he saw, but by You, who art the Savior of all.
I find it rather ironic that God used a snake as a symbol of salvation. It was snakes that were killing the people. It was Satan disguised as a snake that led men into sin. And, throughout Scripture snakes are something vile and despicable (Lev 11:41-42). I have told you before I loathe snakes; I know many people – except for my wife – are like me. Yet, God used a bronze snake on a pole as a symbol of salvation.
D Next Sunday morning we are celebrating the Lord's Supper. Throughout the history of the church there have been those who treat the sacrament as having saving powers – they think the simple act of eating and drinking or of being baptized is able to save. But the Lord's Supper and baptism do not save and do not have the power to save. Like the snake, they are but signs or symbols of salvation. We are saved not by eating and drinking or by being baptized but only by God's grace in Christ and through faith in Christ.
IV The Snake and Jesus
A One would expect very little attention to be paid by the New Testament Church to the story of the bronze snake in Numbers 21. This story, however, cannot be dismissed so readily because Jesus uses it to teach Nicodemus in John 3.
Nicodemus, if you remember, asked Jesus how he could enter the kingdom of God. Jesus replied,
(Jn 3:14-15) Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, (15) that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
To enter the kingdom of God we need to be believe in Jesus Who was lifted up, just like the snake was lifted up.
B We are taught here that the bronze snake, as a symbol of salvation, pointed forward to Jesus Christ. We can highlight three similarities.
First, the bronze snake had the form of a real snake, but was without poison and altogether harmless. In the same way, God sent His Son in the form of sinful flesh, yet He was without sin (Rom 8:3; 2 Cor 5:21).
Second, the snake was lifted up on a pole. In the same way Christ was lifted up on the cross. And, Christ was lifted up from the grave. And, Christ was lifted up into heaven and seated at God's right hand.
Third, the Israelites had to turn their eyes to the bronze snake in belief in order to be cured of the poisonous bite. In the same way, we must look with faith at the Son of Man lifted up upon the cross and from the grave and into heaven if we would be delivered from sin, death, and Satan.
We have to understand, congregation, that our condition is like that of the Israelites in Numbers 21. Just like the Israelites rebelled against God, so have we rebelled against God. Just like the Israelites were bitten by and dying from poisonous snakes, so are we bitten by and dying from the poison of sin. And, just as Israel was totally helpless to do anything about the deadly poison, so are we totally helpless to do anything about sin. Only the Son of Man lifted up upon the cross and from the grave and into heaven is able to save us. Only when we look with faith at Jesus are we delivered.
Conclusion
Next Sunday morning, as I said, we celebrate the Lord's Supper. Lying at the heart of the sacrament, lying at the heart of Lent, is the teaching of Jesus to Nicodemus: that Jesus must be lifted up on the cross and from the grave and into heaven; and, anyone who looks to Him in faith will live forever.
(Jn 3:14-15) Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, (15) that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
Some time ago there was a cartoon that showed two people talking to each other. One person was saying, "Talk, talk, talk. That's all religion ever is – just a lot of talk."
The next picture showed a baby, a cross, and an open grave. Underneath were written the words, "You call that talk?"
The Christian faith is more than just talk. This season of Lent reminds us that God sent Jesus to be lifted up: on the cross and from the grave and into heaven.