Mid-week
Lent #4
March 11, 2015
Numbers 21:4-9
The Attitude of Believing
“Saved By Sight”
.JPG)
Under the inspiration of the Spirit, Moses gives the
ingredients of a people’s fall and their restoration. It all happened by the grace of God. Our lesson is not merely the pattern for a
nation; but it also serves as a model for an individual.
True, we may be tempted to look down our nose at the
children of Israel and think to ourselves that we would never fall for such a
pitiful attitude as Israel. But if we would be honest with ourselves, we might
find a lot in common with these restless folk.
If the truth were known the children of Israel haven't quit cornered the
market on complaining against God…it keeps happening all the time! Thanks be to God that He always restores us
as His people. In contrast to man’s
impatience, we have the amazing patience of God with sinful humanity. That's
what we see in this amazing story of God's people.
Today, let's
consider the pattern of man’s fall and his restoration.
Sin – impatience
and rebellion v. 5 "And the people spoke against God and
against Moses. ’Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in this
wilderness? There is no bread, neither is there any water and our souls loathe
this light bread'."
Under Moses, the children of Israel left the comforts,
the conveniences, and the luxury of Egypt.
Although they were slaves, conditions were not half bad compared with
the hardships of wilderness living, or so they thought. They soon forgot about their sufferings, the
hard service, and the oppression that they felt under the yoke of oppression.
Yet, that was all soon forgotten once they encountered life in the open
wilderness.
They complained about the food, they got tired of
eating the same food month after month and cried to Moses "if only we had died in Egypt!"
Their sin was their complaining, which not necessarily pointed at Moses, it was
directed at God. Their complaining insinuated that they deserved something better;
in effect, they questioned the sovereignty and the providence of God. This
showed a lack of faith and confidence in God, which is at the heart of sin.
They could no longer trust the promise of life in a Promised Land. When we complain, or show lack of respect for
God we are doing one in the same thing. We are showing a lack of faith and
confidence in God our provider. We are demonstrating a lack of confidence in
Him who has given us a much better promise and a much better Promised Land. In
this season of Lent, we are called to return to the Savior who has promised to
direct and sustain us. His providence will surly lead us.
Suffering –
snakes of punishment v. 6 "And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the
people and they bit the people; and many died."
A serpent beguiled the human race way back in the
Garden of Eden. Likewise, it is a serpent, which inflicts the children of
Israel as punishment for their sin of rebellion. This should not surprise
us. The Scriptures clearly remind us
"the wages of sin is death".
But the passage goes on to say "but the free gift of God is eternal
life". By a serpent, death came to
the children of Israel. But by a serpent risen up on a pole came life.
As strange as the command must have appeared all those
who looked in faith to the raised brazen serpent were spared. Likewise, at the
cross, the Son of God, Jesus Christ was raised up, and all who looked to Him in
faith are spared of a far more serious and most lethal and fatal sickness…that
is the sickness of sin. And as we know with this sickness the condition is
always terminal! As by one-man sin entered the world, so likewise, by one man
came life everlasting. Jesus came to bring life and immortality to light
through the gospel. "Today Thy
mercy calls us to wash away our sin" the old, old, hymn reminds us. In
faith turn to Him to live!
Salvation –
confession, prayer, deliverance. Vv.
7-9 "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…The Lord said unto Moses,
'Make a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it shall be that every one
that is bitten, when he looks upon it,
shall live'. Moses made a
serpent of brass and put it upon a pole; and it came to pass that if a serpent
had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived."
The healing of forgiveness comes simply in a look at
the upraised serpent and at the cross. True, preceding the look was a
confession of sin and a request for prayer to be relieved of the punishment -
the two go hand in hand - you can't have one without the other! You can't have
absolution without first having confession and without one you can't have the
other!
The people were saved when they looked at the snake on
the standard. People today are redeemed from sin when they look in faith to the
cross. Just a look is all it takes - that is, if it is the look of faith. This is what this week's emphasis of Lent is
all about. Lent is an attitude of
believing. We are made right with God; we are healed of our brokenness
with God; we are forgiven our sin by simply look to God for mercy. By grace,
and grace alone we are save through Jesus Christ our Savior.
_____________________
Words –977
Passive
Sentences –12%
Readability
–76%
Reading
Level -6.2
No comments:
Post a Comment