The Lenten Season, that forty-day period of time which Christians of various backgrounds observe each year to consider the great work of salvation which the Great God has undertaken for, each and all who will but freely receive it in the person of Jesus Christ and the profound transformation of our lives through the incarnation and the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So, Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived" Num:21:8-9
When we read the Scriptures through the view
as to who Jesus Christ is, we see Jesus and his saving acts symbolized and
prefigured in all the Holy Bible.
We can also see in the lives of many Biblical
personalities, and the struggles which they faced, facing many of the very
things which each and all of us face in life. They, like all humanity
face the great common enemies of sin and death.
The people of Israel, as God's Covenant people
had a unique relationship with God. God had drawn them out of the slave pits of
Egypt and led them forth, through Moses, to what they had longed hoped for,
the Promised land which the Lord had promised to their
Fathers , Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Turned Against Moses
"They traveled from Mount Hor along the
route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the
way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you
brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There
is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” Num: 21:4-5
They condescended to their base nature, that
is , the adversities and hardships of the journey brought out the truth which
was in Israel's hearts all along, and the people of Israel behaved
accordingly. The people of Israel lifted their voice against Moses
and put the blame upon him for the situation which they all shared in.
Snakes in the Camp
God then responded to the ranker of the
Israelites through an act of divine discipline by sending snakes throughout the
camp of Israel which bit at the complaining Israelites resulting in the deaths
of many.
"Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among
them; they bit the people and many Israelites died".(6)
It became obvious to the people of Israel that
God's hand was involved in the plague of venomous snakes among them
brought on by their own bitter complaints stemming from their inpatients for
God to work in their lives as he will. The people of Israel approached
Moses and ask him to intercede with God on their behalf so that the plague
might come to an end.
"So Moses prayed for the people." (7c)
A Healing Provided
When Moses approached to God in prayer, the
Lord answered by instructing Moses to make a Bronze Serpent and affix it
to a pole, that whoever looks upon it will be miraculously healed of their
snake bites.
Those Israelites who looked upon the lifted-up
serpent there in the wilderness were healed and lived.
"The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake
and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So
Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten
by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived”. (8-9)
We, Like Them
In so many ways we, each and all of us, are
like the people of Israel. God intervenes in our lives and we come to
believe in Jesus; and he and sets us free from Egyptian slave
pit of sin and fear and leads us out with promise of an whole new life awaiting
us, yet , when our journey in the wilderness of this life to all that our
God has for us becomes difficult or we find ourselves disappointed with how God
is handling our lives, we like Israel can begin to complain at the
adversity and the truth about us all comes to the surface; we are all
sinners, bitten by the snakes of sin with its venomous effect upon our lives
and those around us.
Jesus Lifted Up
But God has given us, each and all, the
answer, and a healing, to the very issue of sin in our lives. This answer is
his own Son Jesus Christ. Jesus himself likened his crucifixion to be like the
lifting up of the Bronze Serpent fashioned by Moses for the healing of the
bitten.
"Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the
wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up", Jhn:3:14
Jesus is the answer to all human sin even when
we believers stumble or fall into regression and find ourselves condescending
to our basin natures. Even as the bronze serpent that was lifted up so
that all the people could look to it for healing was the answer to the snake
bites that the Israelites received; so is Jesus' death is for all our sins, to
bring us to experience forgiveness and live for all eternity with our God.
This forgiveness is found in our God's eternal
decree which he has ordained from eternity past and has made previsions through
the eternal Son of God that we might be healed not only our sins, but also, we
are forgiven of what we are and our very natures which spawn our sins.
"the Lamb who was slain from the creation
of the world".
Rev: 13:8b
God has proclaimed this decreed and has made
salvation a reality for us through the Son of God even before the creation of
the material universe, all we need do is accept God's eternal decree of life
which is offered to humanity through Jesus Christ, when we hear the Gospel.
None need to be left out if they will but freely receive it and experience the
healing from sin and death.
"the eternal gospel to proclaim to those
who live on the earth--to every nation, tribe, language and people." Rev.: 14:6b
Jesus is the answer to the snakes which will
on occasion slither their way through the camp of our lives bite at us.
When the people of Israel looked upon the
bronze serpent healing came to them, there was nothing else that they had to do
just look to it. This speaks to regarding the grace of God extended to
each and all due to his love for us. That we might be healed of sin, Jesus has
saved us all we need do is look to him even when we are bit by the temptation
and pressures we face in our journey thru the wilderness.
"As for you, you were dead in your
transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways
of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now
at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one
time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and: following its desires and
thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of
his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even
when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God
raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in
Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable
riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For
it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God"—Eph:2:1-8
The healing through Jesus by his cross was
prophesied in the writings of Isaiah when he wrote of the suffering servant. In
Isaiah's prophecy regarding the coming Messiah who would be lifted up for all.
The Apostle St. Peter address the Prophet's
words regarding the healing that Jesus accomplished for us all on the cross.
"Jesus himself bore our sins" in his
body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness;
"by his wounds you have been healed."1Pet:2:24
The context of this verse is our spiritual
healing which the Messiah would accomplish
"For "you were like sheep
going astray," but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of
your souls. (25)
Jesus Intercedes for us
When we find ourselves going astray, bitten
again by the snakes of our carnal nature, we need only look to Jesus who
is there to intercedes for us as our High Priest as Moses did for the
people of Israel.
"Therefore he is able to save
completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to
intercede for them." Heb: 7:25
Jesus, as the one who has saved us
completely, has healed us of our need, even when we stumble, we can
confess to him our need and thank him for the accomplished healing that is
already ours in Jesus. We are healed, of sin.
The Lenten season reminds us of the
finished work of Jesus upon the cross that heals us of all our sins.
Benediction: May we each and all ever look to the
Cross of our Lord Jesus for the healing of all sin, today, tomorrow and
forevermore. Amen.
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Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor
Topinabee Community Church
Topinabee Michigan
If You Would Like to Know More About or to Support the Ministry of Topinabee Community Church You Can go to Our Web Site.
https://topinabeechurch.org/index.html
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“If Its Not About Jesus, Its Not About Anything!”
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