High and Lifted Up
Opening Prayer
Jesus, thank You that, in the face of our rebellion and ingratitude, You paid the highest price for us!
Read Numbers 21:1-9
[1] When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them. [2] Then Israel made this vow to the LORD: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy their cities.” [3] The LORD listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites over to them. They completely destroyed them and their towns; so the place was named Hormah. [4] They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; [5] they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” [6] Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. [7] The people came to Moses and said, “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. [8] The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” [9] 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, they lived. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What is the meaning of the imagery in this passage?This brief story reads like a whirlwind recap of some by-now-familiar themes: people who won’t let Israel travel through; trouble at Hormah (compare 21:3 with 14:45); grumbling in the desert (still no bread! still no water!); and death–more death. This time it’s snakes. But the new thing here is that the people recognize their sin of ingratitude and get Moses to intercede for them right there and then. His solution involves a snake on a pole: look at the snake and be healed. The point was that God used this object to symbolize the healing of the Israelites, not that the snake itself healed them. God healed them. (In fact, this story is mentioned in the Apocrypha, making exactly that point. See Wisdom of Solomon 16:7.) The story turns up again in John 3. Jesus uses this image to describe himself being lifted up–this time to bring eternal life to everyone who believes (John 3:14). Jesus sees this story in Numbers describing exactly how God rescues in the midst of trouble. The Israelites, for example, remain in the wilderness. But they are healed.
Apply
How has your journey through Numbers pointed you to Jesus? Review and rejoice!
Closing prayer
Lord, open my heart to the wonder of Your works, and fill me with Your Spirit, that I may take this message to the world.
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