The Grace of God (Num. 21:4-9)

1/26/2009 12:29 PM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  The Grace of God

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Numbers 21:4-9

            Message of the verses:  “4 ¶  Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey.  5 The people spoke against God and 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 miserable food."  6  The LORD sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.  7  So the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and you; intercede with the LORD, that He may remove the serpents from us." And Moses interceded for the people.  8  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live."  9  And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.”

            This section, “The Grace of God” has four sub-sections in it and although there is an abundance of material from Dr. Wiersbe’s book that I have read that pertains to this section I will not be able to cover all of it but will try to hit the main points of these verses.

            The Sin (v-5).  After a great victory in recorded in verses 1-3 Moses has to lead the children of Israel around Edom because they would not allow them to go through their land.  It was a difficult place to travel and the children of Israel came up with the same complaint against Moses and God that they were tired of the Manna and that they wished they were still in Egypt. 

            Their punishment (v-6).  God immediately sent serpents into the camp and they began to bite the children of Israel and then they died.  The serpents were not fiery, but probably the bites were fiery and the death was painful and swift.

            Their confession and plea (v-7).  Earlier in the book of Numbers the children of Israel confessed their sin to the Lord when the ten spies convinced the children of Israel that it was hopeless for them to try and concur the people who were living in the Promised Land, but after their confession they tried to concur the land in their own power which was not what the Lord wanted them to do so this was probably not a true confession of their sins.  This time this second generation of the children of Israel made a true confession to the Lord over their sin as they seemed to finely realize that what they were doing with all of their complaining was sinful.

            Their deliverance (vv. 8-9).  The very first time that I ever read this passage, I believe sometime in 1979 I realized that this was a picture of the cross and the salvation that Jesus Christ had provided for me.  God tells Moses to make a bronze snake and place it on a poll and all of the children of Israel who were bitten by the serpents who looked at the snake would be healed and live.  God did not take the serpents away as the children of Israel had asked Moses to pray would happen, but God would use this sinfulness of the children of Israel to make this picture of the cross.  Bronze is a picture of judgment in the Bible and so their sin was judged when they looked at this bronze snake.

            Jesus spoke of this snake to illustrate His own death in John 3:14-15, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.”  To be lifted up was know to all that generation to be crucified.  “The comparisons between the bronze serpent in Moses’ day and the cross of Christ help us better understand the meaning of God’s grace in salvation.  All people have been infected by sin and will one day die and face judgment (Heb. 9:27), but if they look by faith to Christ, He will save them and give them eternal life.  Looking to the bronze serpent saved people from physical death, but looking to Christ saves us from eternal death.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I think that the best blessing of this SD is the reminder of what Jesus Christ did for me on the cross, as I do not think of that as much as I should think of it.  I will never be able to understand all that took place on the cross that day, but I can always be thankful for what He did for me by paying for my sins so that I can have a perfect relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1. Continue to learn more about God.
2. Continue to learn contentment.
3. Trust the Lord to guide my path each day.

Memory verses for the week:                                  Review Romans chapter six.

1/27/2009 10:44 AM