9.21.09: Numbers 14 - 23

NUMBERS 14:1 - 4: When the chorus of despair went up, everyone joined in. Their greatest fears were being realized. Losing their perspective the people were caught up in the emotion of the moment, forgetting what they knew about God's character. What if the people had spent as much energy moving forward as they did moving back? They could have enjoyed their land - instead they never even entered it. When a cry of despair goes up around you, consider the larger perspective before you join in. You have better ways to use your energy than to complain.

14:5 - 9: With great miracles, God had the Israelites out of slavery, through the desolate wilderness, and up to the very edge of the Promised Land. He had protected them, fed them, and fulfilled every promise. Yet when encouraged to take the last step of faith and enter the land, the people refused. After witnessing so many miracles, why did they stop trusting God? Why did the refuse to enter the Promised Land when that had been their goal since leaving Egypt? They were afraid. Often we do the same thing. We trust God to handle the smaller issues but doubt His ability to take care of the big problems, the tough decisions, the frightening situations. Don't stop trusting God just as you are ready to reach your goal. he brought you this far and won't let you down now. We can continue trusting God by remembering all He has done for us.

When Moses pleas with God 14:7-20 his plea reveals several characteristics of God:
1. God is immensely patient
2. God's love is one promise we can always count on
3. God forgives again and again
4. God is merciful, listening to and answering our requests. God has not changed since Moses's day. Like Moses, we can rely on Gods love, patience, forgiveness and mercy.

The most negative person you know is probably not your favorite person. We are so averse to negative people that we have a small arsenal of verbal flyswatters devoted to shooing them away: "One bad apple spoils the whole bunch." "Don't rain on my parade." "Don't be a party pooper." "Don't be a stick in the mud." "You're such a wet blanket."

Many of the Israelites are "wet blankets." They struggle with bad attitudes that eventually lead to drastic and devastating consequences. After witnessing spectacular miracles and experiencing the actual presence of God, the Israelites still grumbled and rebelled against the Lord (14:1 -10, 20:2-5). We may wonder how they could be so blind and ignorant, yet aren't we just like them? Despite centuries of evidence, scores of Bible translations and the convincing results of archaeological and historical studies people today continue to grumble against God and go their own way.
Rebellion against God begins with dissatisfaction and skepticism, with grumbling about God and present circumstance. Then follows bitterness and resentment and lastly, open hostility and rebellion.

16:13,14. One of the easiest ways to fall away from following God is to look at our present problems and exaggerate them. Dathan and Abiram did just that when they began to long for better food and more pleasant surroundings. Egypt, the place they had longed to leave, was now looking better and better - not because of slavery and taskmasters, of course but because of its mouthwatering food! These two men and their followers has completely lost their perspective. When we take our eyes off God and start looking at ourselves and our problems we being to lose our perspective as well. Overrating problems can hinder our relationship with God. Don't let difficulties make you lose sight of God's direction for your life.

If you are often dissatisfied, skeptical, complaining, or bitter - BEWARE!! These attitudes color your perspective and bias you against God. You can escape this trap by choosing a better attitude. Has God guided and protected you? Has he answered your prayers? Do you know people who have experienced remarkable blessings and healings? Do you know Bible stories about the way God has led His people? Focus your thoughts on what God Has done.

The Bronze Serpent
In John chapter three Jesus used a historical illustration to teach Nicodemus about the importance of believing in His coming death. Jesus said, "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" (John 3:14-15).
God commanded Moses to make a bronze serpent and put it on a pole as a cure for a punishment after the people sinned (Num. 21:4-9). Jesus used the same imagery to teach that He will be lifted up on a cross as a cure for people’s sin. Faith in Him alone gives eternal life to those who are doomed to die because of their sin.
The historical situation was the last of a number of "apostasies" in the wilderness wanderings. Four things characterize those events: the people of Israel complained against God, He sent judgment upon them, they repented of their sin and He forgave them and delivered them.
The people of Israel became impatient in their journey in the wilderness. They griped about the "miserable food" God provided for them (Numbers 21:4–5). The people "spoke against God and Moses." God takes our mouthing and complaining about Him seriously! "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?" they asked. "For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food." God was keeping two million people from starving to death in a wilderness and they were grumbling at Him. The "miserable food" they were eating was the manna God was providing for them daily. True, it wasn't stake and ale, but it kept them alive and healthy.
God sent poisonous snakes as a judgment because the people were grumbling again God and Moses. "The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died" (Numbers 21:6). "The wages of sin is death." That fact is still true. "The soul that sins will surely die." That truth won't go away. It is a law of life.
The people seeing the seriousness of their sin urged Moses to intercede on their behalf (v. 7). "We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and you." They confessed to God their evil attitude and behavior. Then Moses prayed that the LORD would remove the serpents from them.
The LORD then instructed Moses to, "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 shall live" (v. 8). This "look" involved a look of faith in God to save them.
"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" (v. 9).
The stress in this passage is not on some magical healing, but on a bronze serpent as a symbol of salvation that God offered to all who would look to Him and live.
Jesus borrowed the object lesson from history. He said, just like Moses raised the serpent up in the wilderness, He, too, must be lifted up so that whoever believes on Him may have eternal life.