As a short, freckled faced, redheaded six-year-old girl living in the mountains of Northern California, I was a little tomboy who climbed mountains and trees and dug for worms to sell to the tourist fishermen. My daddy yearned to have a son, but ended up with three daughters, that may have influenced some of my tomboyish ways, who knows?
Daddy was a teacher, and for one learning session he took us, the handful of students from his one room schoolhouse, down the hill to the meadow across the highway. He led us to the small creek, lined with fuzzy brown cattails. There he caught a small harmless snake that caught his eye as it soundlessly slithered through the grass. Dad said the snake was harmless and I believed him. Feeling very brave, I begged Daddy to let me carry it back to the schoolhouse, and with a wry smile he handed the colorful little snake to me. But the little girls who saw the snake, squealed, and scattered. So naturally, I began to chase them with the snake held out in front of me, laughing all the while.
That incident was decades ago. Today, snakes are not my favorite thing, I definitely would not play with one. In some countries snakes are revered. The devil took the form of a snake to entice Eve to commit the first human sin. GOD put a special dislike of snakes in women, back then in the Garden (Genesis 3:15) for that 1st lady listened to that snake and by believing the snake she fell into sin.
From that time on a snake was a symbol in the Bible of sin.
GOD delivered the Jews who’d been cruelly treated as slaves in Egypt because they cried out to the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY (Exodus 3:9). GOD delivered them through Moses from slavery by a strong hand doing great miracles. But the Jews had two major weaknesses. The Jews had very short memories, they forgot how cruelly they had been treated in Egypt and they didn’t trust the power and goodness of GOD though HE had proved it over and over.
When problems came, instead of asking GOD for help they murmured and complained, and cried out, “Where is GOD?” or “Let’s go back to Egypt.” (Exodus 16:3) Even so, GOD, in HIS great mercy, always came through for them and met their need. HE fed them with manna (the corn of heaven/ angels food) from heaven (Deuteronomy 8:3, Psalm 78:24-25), and once when they didn’t have water, GOD told Moses to strike a rock and out gushed water. There was enough water for all to quench the thirst and being there was over a million people, plus all their cattle and sheep that was a lot of water! (Exodus 17:6).
Even after seeing GOD deliver them over and over, providing them with food and water, defeating their enemies, the Israelites continued to murmur and complain. Sick and tired of daily problems, and delays (sound familiar?) they became discouraged, impatient, and at the end of their endurance. Plain and simple, they forgot all GOD had done for them. They trusted GOD to get them out of Egypt, but didn’t trust GOD to fight their daily battles, or meet their needs.
Sometimes you and I act just like them.
As GOD’s people they needed to learn to trust GOD. The way on learns to trust is though seeing GOD at work which means PROBLEMS. To learn to trust, you must have situations where you need to trust. Every time they failed the test, it meant another round in the Wilderness. Trust was necessary before GOD could do for them all the wonderful things HE wanted to do for them.
After years of this the people became very discouraged because of their struggles and spoke against GOD and Moses. So, the LORD sent fiery serpents among them. When a person got bit, they died. Immediately the people understood it was their murmuring and complaining that had caused this, so they ran to Moses and begged him to pray to the LORD for them. GOD told Moses to do a strange thing. HE told him to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole and put in on a high place, so all the millions of Jews could see it. If someone got bit, all he had to do was to look at the snake on the pole and he would live. But, if he didn’t believe GOD’s word that looking at the snake would help, and refused to look at the snake, he would die. (Numbers 21:4-9).
JESUS talked about that very snake on a pole. HE said, “As Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man (JESUS) must be lifted up so 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 believes in HIM, should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:14-16).
Just as the Jews had to look to the snake on a pole, to be cured from the deadly snake bites; so, we must look to JESUS, who carried our sin on the cross, to be cured/ forgiven of our sins and made righteous in GOD’s eyes (Romans 3:20-22).
If a Jew had been bitten by a snake and refused to look to the snake on the pole, he died. All of us have sinned (Romans 6:23) and if we believe in JESUS and look to HIM to save us we are forgiven and gain eternal life. But if we refuse to look to JESUS and believe and call on the name of LORD JESUS to save us (Romans 10:13), we will die in our sins (John 8:24) and the wrath of GOD will be on us (John 3:36).
Did you notice it was the murmuring and complaining that got the Jews into trouble? Why would murmuring in hard situations get GOD so mad? It shows a lack of trust in GOD amazing wisdom and power.
Do you, do I ever murmur or complain? Or do we look to JESUS who bore our sin on the cross and promises to help us if we come boldly to HIM in prayer? (Hebrews 4:16).
Looking unto JESUS, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.
Hugs
Sharon
wakemyear 