Fiery Serpents 9/21-25/20

 21-25 Sept. 2020 - The Fiery Serpents – Sharing Bible Study by Dorothy

Story that combined with Numbers 21:4-9 from Christian Life Bible lesson. 

          Near the end of their forty years of wandering in the wilderness, some of the people sinned the sin that leads to death. In unbelief they spoke against God and Moses. “So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died” (Num. 21:6).

          Their sin was threefold (having three parts). (1) God: “And the people spoke against God … ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?’” (v.5). Unbelief always cries, “WHY?” (2) Moses: “And the people spoke against God and against Moses” (v.5). From verse 4, “… the soul of the people became discouraged on the way.” They were discouraged because the way was hard; they spoke against God, blaming Him and Moses. God sent Moses to them. (3) God’s provision for them: they said, “there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes (sick of) this worthless bread”—manna, bread from heaven      (v.5). God in His mercy gave them water from the rock, and for forty years, He gave them bread from heaven. Instead of praising the Lord for providing for them, they complained about the same food and accused God and Moses of bringing them there to die.

          Many of the Israelites were dying before their time because they had sinned unto death. The people came to Moses believing, repenting, and confessing, “We have sinned.” Then they named their sin: “For we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us.” (v.7).

          God made the people taste the bitter fruits of their sin. Then they begged Moses to pray that God would take the serpents away. “So Moses prayed for the people” (v.7) and God answered his prayer, but not according to what people want.

          From Numbers 21:8-9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.”

          By faith they must go to the bronze serpent on pole and look at it, believing that God would heal them.  This was an act of faith; only those who exercised their faith lived. [Exercise= the act of putting into use, action, or practice]

          Jesus knew this story of ‘Fiery Serpents’ very well from Numbers 21:4-9 so Jesus quoted John 3:14-16 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” As we look to Jesus, placing our faith in Him, we can be saved from the fires of eternal hell (John 3:36) and live with Him forever and ever.

   [Footnote to discuss about Jesus and the bronze serpent in New Testament]

          This was the most amazing illustration that Jesus used the bronze serpent on the pole from the Old Testament to compare Christ on the cross that later on it would be in the book of New Testament. Jesus said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.”

          Most of the Jews knew this story about Moses lifted up the bronze serpent on the pole. Do you know the story from the Old Testament, “the Fiery Serpents” to be able to explain to other person? “The Fiery Serpents” is a perfect illustration for complained Christians and for sinners without Christ.

          First of all, this is a warning for Christian who complained a lot and might get bitten by “Satan as a serpent.” The Christian needs to look to Jesus on the Cross to be healed from having a “complained spirit.”

          Secondly, encourage the person to see the picture of Moses with the bronze serpent on the pole. The pole is a symbol of cross. The bronze serpent is a symbol of Satan bitten the sinners and their souls are dying. They need to look to the cross of Jesus for salvation. Pray that their eyes be opened to see this light of Truth.