Numbers 21-24
Hope for Those Who Look Up

Complaining was not a new thing for God's people as they wandered in the wilderness. Their complaints always impugned the motives of Moses and the providential care of God. Numbers 21 is not exception. After the events of the preceding chapter (God providing water and victory over the king of Arad), the Israelites still murmured. "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread" (v. 5).

As a result, God sent "fiery serpents" into the camp. When these snakes bit the people, they grew sick, and many died. God's message was simple: If you will not appreciate My blessings, then you shall taste My wrath.

Then some of the people to realize their sinful behavior and cried out to the LORD, "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" (v. 7). God instructed Moses to fashion bronze serpent, but it on a pole, and put it before the people. "And it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live" (v. 8). Here is God's grace demonstrated. They had brought His wrath down on themselves, yet God was still merciful and willing to save. What must they do? Simply look up to God, rather than down in their misery and into themselves in self-pity.

Man still brings God's wrath on himself today. We may murmur against the LORD's provisions to us, we may immerse ourselves in lust, we may pursue greed, we may be consumed with anger, etc. But, we reject the way of the LORD. When we leave His way, we always pursue our way, and that inevitably brings hardships of some kind or another. Paul wrote in Romans 2:4-10, "Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works... but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury." God may not send the hardships on us; sometimes (often!) we bring them down upon ourselves. But, it does not take long for us to begin to feel the consequences of our rebellion. What can we do?

Thankfully, God still provides salvation to us when we come to this point and are willing to say as they did, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord..." He still provides something for us to look up to. Jesus told the nocturnal Nicodemas once, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life" (John 3:14-15). "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself" (John 12:32). If you today feel the bite of sin, and the burning repercussions of it, then know that through His grace God gives relief. Look out of yourself and despair and up in hope to Jesus! He saves those who look to Him in obedience.