Digibron cookies

Voor optimale prestaties van de website gebruiken wij cookies. Overeenstemmig met de EU GDPR kunt u kiezen welke cookies u wilt toestaan.

Noodzakelijke en wettelijk toegestane cookies

Noodzakelijke en wettelijk toegestane cookies zijn verplicht om de basisfunctionaliteit van Digibron te kunnen gebruiken.

Optionele cookies

Onderstaande cookies zijn optioneel, maar verbeteren uw ervaring van Digibron.

Bekijk het origineel

The Israelites in the Wilderness: Part VII

Bekijk het origineel

+ Meer informatie

The Israelites in the Wilderness: Part VII

7 minuten leestijd Arcering uitzetten

Numbers 21

Listen! Do you hear what I hear? Crying, screaming, and sounds of pain! Those are the Israelites making such noises! What has happened now? Why are they in agony?

The children of Israel are crying because they are in pain. Their camp is full of poisonous snakes crawling, twisting, and biting. They are biting so many people.

What has happened? Why has God sent such awful snakes among His people?

Yes, the people of Israel had been grumbling again. They had been walking and walking. They had walked through country after country, and each time God had helped them fight the enemies along the way. Whatever they had needed, God had given them. But then the Israelites had become tired of all that walking. Aren’t we the same way?

“When are we ever going to be in Canaan?” they complained. “Why did we ever come out into this awful desert? There’s no water here, and the only food we have is this manna which we don’t like. Why did we ever follow Moses out of Egypt?”

And God had become angry with them. Can you not see why? God had kept them and protected them; His cloud went with them, but were the Israelites thankful? God had helped them every time they had special needs. He had given them water and manna there in the wilderness, and had also given them meat to eat. Why were they so discontented? But aren’t we just like the children of Israel? If we had been there, we may have been grumbling even sooner.

And now there were these snakes, which the Bible calls “fiery serpents,” in every tent and throughout the camp. We don’t see snakes too often, do we? And when we do, I think we all RUN! But there were too many fiery serpents in the Israelites’ camp. They could not run away. Many people died from the bites of the snakes.

The people realized how wicked they had been in complaining about the Lord. “We have sinned,” they told Moses, “for we were grumbling against God and against you. Please pray to the Lord that He will take these serpents away.”

So Moses prayed to the Lord, and God heard their cries. God hears those who turn to Him, truly confessing their sins. But God did not just make every snake die. He did not just make them crawl out of the camp and never come back. Oh, no! God knew that not everyone was truly sorry for his grumbling. There were possibly people who had just felt sorry with their mouths, but not with their hearts. And God was willing to help those who had really humble hearts.

“Make a fiery serpent out of brass,” God told Moses, “and put it high up on a pole. Then anyone who has been bitten by a snake can live — if he looks at that brass serpent.” So Moses made a snake out of brass and put it on a pole where everyone could see it, no matter where they were in the camp. And anyone who looked at it was healed!

But — think about it a minute. I think there were people who would not even LOOK at the serpent on the pole! Can you believe it? Here was an easy thing to do, something that didn’t even hurt, something to help them get well — and they wouldn’t do it!

“How am I going to get better by just looking at that serpent on a pole?” they argued. “What good can that do me? That can’t heal my bites.” And, how awful to say, so they died.

Maybe there were some people in so much pain that they could barely turn their head. But they truly believed the word of the Lord that looking at the serpent on the pole would help them! They did the most they could to twist and turn in all their agony just to get a sight of that serpent! Maybe a friend had to help them turn. And then — they saw it! There it was! There was the serpent! They had believed God’s words that He would heal them. AND HE DID!!

Now listen. Let me tell you something. We are all dying from the bite of a serpent, too. But most of us will not use the remedy which the Lord has given.

“What?” you ask. “When were we ever bitten by a snake?”

Do you remember the story of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden? Do you remember the serpent who spoke to Eve and told her to take the fruit from the forbidden tree? Well, the bite of that serpent is still with us today. Because of it, sin and death came into the beautiful world which God had created. Every day he speaks to you and me. Every day he tries to have us do wrong things. Every day we listen to what he says, and sin against God. We are all infected by the bite of that snake.

We do not have a brass serpent hanging on a pole to save us. God has given a better remedy! Yes, I think you already know — His name is Jesus. The Lord Jesus Christ was hung on a cross and died so that those who truly look to Him may live! Anyone who really is given to feel his need and look to Him, believing the Word of God with all his heart, will be saved.

But none of us can even look to Him who was lifted up to save sinners, just as the serpent was lifted up on a pole in the wilderness to save those Israelites bitten by serpents. We are so full of sin and sickness that we can’t even turn our heads. Only God’s Spirit can help us look toward Jesus. Pray that you may be given that which is needed in order that you may do so!

Acknowledging God

A wealthy gentleman, who was a stranger to personal and family religion, one evening took a long walk in the vicinity of his estate. He happened to come near a small hut, where a poor man lived with his large family. He earned his bread by hard labor.

The rich man, coming near, heard a voice, and not knowing what is was, curiosity prompted him to stand still and listen. It was the poor man’s voice, who happened to be at prayer with his family. He heard him giving thanks, with great affection, to God for the goodness of His providence in giving them food to eat and raiment to put on, and in supplying them with what was necessary and comfortable in the present life.

The man was immediately struck with astonishment and confusion, and said to himself, “Does this poor man, who has nothing but the simplest food, and that purchased by hard labor, give thanks to God for His goodness to himself and his family; and I, who enjoy ease and honor, and everything that is pleasant and desirable; have hardly ever bowed my knees or made any acknowledgment to my Maker and Preserver?”

It pleased God to make this occurrence the means of bringing a change in the rich man’s life.

— Adapted from John Whitecross

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Bekijk de hele uitgave van dinsdag 1 november 1994

The Banner of Truth | 30 Pagina's

The Israelites in the Wilderness: Part VII

Bekijk de hele uitgave van dinsdag 1 november 1994

The Banner of Truth | 30 Pagina's