Saturday, December 1
Read Numbers 21
Think About It:
Anger and impatience in their hearts boiled over into harsh words against the Lord and against Moses. It was the same old complaint: Moses had brought them out of Egypt to die in the wilderness, and there was nothing to eat but this “good for nothing bread,” manna.
The manna was much more than daily food for Israel: it was a type of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the “Bread of Life.”
Judgement immediately came as the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people. They rejected God’s gift of life and health from heaven, so God sent them suffering and death from the earth, and many died.
Moses prayed for the people as they asked him to, but the Lord didn’t answer in the way they thought He would. Moses did as the Lord told him and made a Bronze fiery (pain caused by the venom) serpent, placed it on a pole and lifted it up for anyone to gaze upon and be healed.
- When the Jews despised the manna, what were they rejecting in the eyes of the Lord?
- Why would the Lord have Moses make a serpent, the very creature that was causing the people to die?
- Moving north, what now was the people’s song? What provision did it represent, even to us today?
Family Time:
- How did the people sin in the desert?
- Once again, the consequence for sin was that many people died. But, once again God made a way for them to be saved. What did God tell Moses to make? What were the people to do if they were bitten?
- Just like the Israelites, we are in trouble because of the poison of our own sin, and every person is on their way to eternal death. Like the bronze serpent, who was raised up on a cross for us to look to and be saved?
- The Israelites were saved from death in their bodies. They looked at the bronze serpent and were saved through faith. But all who look to Jesus in faith are saved from eternal (forever) death, to be saved forever. Have you been saved from eternal death?
