Numbers 21:4-9; March 22, 2009
Monday, March 23rd, 2009The Text:
From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against 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 worthless food.” Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.Numbers 21:4-9, ESV
From the Sermon:
So… do you feel like looking under pews for poisonous “fire serpents?” Do you see yourself in the impatience of the Children of Israel? Well, the text isn’t here to tell us that we are impatient so God is going to punish us with snakes. What it is saying is that God’s promises are true, even when we experience delay after delay… but we are impatient. We want his promises now.
We pray for healing… “God heal me I can’t bear the pain any longer. I don’t understand why you don’t answer me.” we grow impatient… “Why do I have to struggle with money? God why don’t you just make me win the lottery?” discouragement sets in… “I’ll never be married. No one would want to live their whole life with me?” We focus on ourselves… “I am a worthless person. Everything I do fails.” questioning… “Doesn’t God love me? Is God really there?”
God’s delay becomes God’s denial. “If I can’t have it now… then it’s just not worth it.” Our troubles become the center of our thoughts.
