A Snake on a Pole

Monday, March 9, 2020

Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom.  But the people grew impatient with the long journey, and they began to speak against God and Moses.  “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained.  “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink.  And we hate this horrible manna!”  So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died.  Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you.  Pray that the Lord will take away the snakes.”  So Moses prayed for the people.  Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole.  All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!”  So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole.  Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!  Numbers 21:4-9

There’s an easy leap in this morning’s text to a lot of imagery connected with the New Testament Gospel message.  There is a snake-problem like Adam and Eve experienced; sin is often represented as something willing to bite and devour. There is the pole representing the cross.  When people look to the cross for their salvation they’re healed from sin’s penalty. 

The wilderness complaining of Israel against the leader, Moses, and their God, Yahweh, is a loaded question for the ages:  Did you bring us out here to die?  And the answer is decidedly YES in the New Testament; Jesus told his disciples (followers):

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.  Luke 9:23

So, then there’s a huge connection that follows at the end of the passage.  God gave Moses instructions to place a replica of a snake on a pole and set it up so everyone would know where it is.  When bitten by a snake (sin), they must simply look at the pole (turn to the cross) to be saved.  This is a conditional forgiveness, extended to those who will turn to God by faith.  It isn’t being part of the group, like the Israelites were born into Abraham’s tribes.  It isn’t a matter of having trudged along with the wanderers or slaughtered so many pigeons or lambs on a certain holy day.  The essence and reality of their salvation was to be a simple act of humility, bowing not towards what they have done, but Whom they trust. 

And so it is today; to connect with God isn’t a matter of insider knowledge or blessing by the preacher.  Knowing God can’t be found in studying all the religions or following movements.  It certainly won’t be found in the wisdom of men, no matter how impressive the credentials.  Knowing God is only found in humbly turning to what God has said He is, and the evidence of what He has done in Jesus Christ on a cross; Jesus’ gift of his shed blood for our sins is the healing place. 

For You Today

Snake on a pole – Savior on a cross; God paints us pictures, so we won’t miss the point.  Like the old song has it, Look and live, my brother; look and live!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day! 

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Title Image:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

For another post on Numbers 21:4-9 see Fall, Repent, Repeat

Taste and See

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Thursday, October 25, 2018

Taste and see that the Lord is good.  Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!  Psalm 34:8(NLT)

Let’s unpack those words.

Taste

To “taste” here is literally to perceive by experiencing.  It involves a conscious decision to be involved.  I recall a TV commercial years ago for Life cereal.  Some boys were reluctant to taste the new cereal their Mom had brought home, so they tried it on their little brother, Mikey.  

This is so like beginning a relationship with God.  Many people are more than willing to give their opinion about God without first knowing Him.  It is the theological equivalent of “Monday-morning quarterbacks”.  Guys who could hardly find the practice field and warmed the bench for two seasons in high school presume to know how the professionals should do it.  People who claim to know all about living the spiritual life, but have never even had an authentic conversation with God, have not “tasted”; they have only looked.  “Tasting God” means taking Him at His word.  It’s a leap of faith that says:  “I commit my life to you, what will you do with me?”

See

If “tasting” is to perceive by experience, “seeing” is knowing by that same experience.  There is something that happens when you take that leap of faith – something on the inside that validates the closeness of God.  There’s an old expression of doubt that goes:  I’ll believe it when I see it.  But with God it’s the other way around; you will never see until you believe!

And what is it that we “see” anyway?  What we see is that the LORD is good!

Trust and be Happy

To take refuge is to trust.  Happiness with the general direction and outcome of life is a matter of trust…always.  That is because we cannot see the future.  But God can…and so trusting our lives and future to the One who holds that future is the only sane decision in the playbook!

In some of John Wesley’s sermons he described an experimental aspect of religious activities – an “experiencing” of God’s power in one’s life.  Henry Blackaby is well-known for his Experiencing God writings.  Blackaby contends that when we cooperate with the move of God in our lives we grow as a strong and useful disciple.  It is this that we see here; a person “tastes” by committing himself in a leap of faith to God’s control over his life.  Because of this “leap” there is a “seeing” a knowing deep-down that God is truly good.  Faith is born strong in the inner self, and this leads to a contented heart and soul – happiness within.

David knew what he was talking about.  When he was tasting and seeing and trusting he was among the most blessedly happy of men.  When he got away from God and trusted in his own ways, his own strength and desires he became the most miserable wretch on the planet.  He could write about being incredibly blessed, and he could also recount the emptiness of having forfeited the presence of God’s Holy Spirit.

For You Today

Now, as much as we can talk all day about this, it does little to stir your taste buds.  It is like this apple – I hold it and describe it, while I eat it.  

Chomp!   Oh, it’s delicious … juicy … crunchy … sweet.  It’s got that tiny hint of tartness that comes from upper Connecticut orchards.  

Ummm…boy that’s good.

Did you taste it?  Wasn’t it good?  Did you enjoy that superb taste when I bit into it?  Are you satisfied?  Happy with that?

Of course, not…you watched, your mouth may have watered; you may have tried to ignore my rudeness at eating without offering you some…but you didn’t get near it, did you?  You’re just as empty as when I started. 

In order for you to see how good it is, you’ve got to taste for yourself.

You, uh, chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[1] Title Image: Courtesy of Pixabay.com