From Mount Hor they set
out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people
became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against
Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For
there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” Then the
LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that
many people of Israel died. And 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 take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And
the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and
everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze
serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the
bronze serpent and live. (Numbers
21:4-9 ESV).
We
might not be surprised that the people grumbled against God and Moses in the
desert. All around them was a trackless, howling wilderness, with searing heat
and blinding sandstorms. Ahead of them were powerful enemies, barricaded in
high, walled cities. But God had solved all of their crises before: bringing
them through the Red Sea, giving them manna (bread), quail (meat), and water
each day. With such a firm foundation for faith, was there any reason for the
people not to trust God with their future?
The
same question can apply today for God’s people who might grumble against him.
And we have a lot more of God’s faithfulness in history to remind us of his
care. We also have the good news of salvation through Jesus, who was lifted up
on a cross for our sake. He took on himself all the punishment for sin and
rebellion that was rightly ours to bear. Jesus even explained that the snake on
a pole in Moses’ day pointed to his saving work on the cross. So everyone who
looks to him and believes may now have eternal life.
Do you
trust him?
No comments:
Post a Comment