“No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven – the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” —John 3:13-15
In our verses for today we are presented with the Easter story … couched in unfamiliar words. Jesus was sent from heaven to save us from the sting of death!
The story of the snakes in the desert takes place in Numbers chapter 21. The Israelites were, once again, grumbling and complaining against God and Moses. They were sick of the lack of bread. They were sick of the lack of water. They were sick of the miserable food. And while their bodies were healthy, their attitudes were sick! Taking their eyes off God and placing them on their circumstances certainly did not fare too well regarding their behavior, but their complaining fared even less well with God. I am reminded of the verses in Philippians that have become our family mantra:
“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without blemish though you live in a crooked and perverse society, in which you shine as lights in the world by holding on to the word of life so that on the day of Christ I will have a reason to boast that I did not run in vain nor labor in vain.” —Philippians 2:14-16
God was not happy with their stinking attitude and, I might add, He is not happy when my attitude stinks either! In the case of the Israelite people, He sent venomous snakes–biting many among them–causing death. The people turned to Moses immediately, crying that they had sinned and asking for his intersession. Mercifully, God told Moses to make a snake and place it on top of a pole. Anyone who had been bitten could merely look at that snake and live.
“Then they traveled from Mount Hor by the road to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom, but the people became impatient along the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness, for there is no bread or water, and we detest this worthless food.”
“So the LORD sent venomous snakes among the people, and they bit the people; many people of Israel died. Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD that he would take away the snakes from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.”
“The LORD said to Moses, “Make a poisonous snake and set it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole, so that if a snake had bitten someone, when he looked at the bronze snake he lived.” —Numbers 21:4-9
You know, we often grumble and complain over God’s provisions for our lives as well. We don’t like the house we have, or the car we drive, or the spouse we live with. Our job is too hard, our money too little, our joy depleted. Our children rebel, our health declines, our friends fail us. You name it; we can complain about it. We can call this complaining and grumbling whatever we want, but God calls it sin.
Notice in the passage in Numbers, God did not take the snakes away rather He gave them a way through the snakes. Sin will never be eradicated this side of heaven. Jesus is our only way “through” the “snakes.” We are all born stricken with this sin nature– bitten by the venomous snake of Satan–and in desperate need of a Savior. And just as God in His mercy had Moses craft a snake on a pole to save many who had sinned, He also, in His mercy, sent His Son down from heaven to save all who would believe. Jesus came to reveal God to man and to take away our sin!
Take It to Heart
Jesus, being without sin, took upon Himself all the sins of the world–past, present and future–so that in turn His righteousness could be given to those who would trust in Him by faith.
“ God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God.” —2 Corinthians 5:21
“For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast.” —Ephesians 2:8-9
Further Reflections
“Sin is the deadliest foe we have; it cast our first parents out of paradise; it defaced God’s image in man; it brought pain, sickness, and death into the world, and a spiritual death into the soul; it causes a distance from God, and a dislike to his holy ways; it gives Satan an interest in, and a power over mankind; it once drowned the world, and will destroy it at last; it exposes body and soul to the just judgment of a holy God, and will seek every unpardoned offender into everlasting destruction. How is this deadly foe to be conquered? How is this fretting leprosy of the soul to be cleansed? Reader, be careful in this matter, and seek after a remedy that will be lasting and efficacious. Duties, prayers, tears, sacrifices, morality, and partial reformations, avail nothing in this case; all below Christ Jesus will prove physicians of no value. Jesus is the only Savior; God the Father sent him into the world to save sinners; his name declares the same; he is ‘called Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.’ His blood is the only atonement for sin … May we be enabled to look to him, to receive him as our Lord Jesus, able and willing to save to the uttermost.” —K. H. Von Bogatzky