5 April 2022

So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.’ So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

From Numbers 21:4-9, NRSV

Life in the wilderness was hard for the people of Israel. They suffered many hardships: the intense temperatures of the desert climate, the shortage of water, unsatisfying food, a nomadic existence. To make matters worse, they were being attacked and killed by poisonous snakes. The people understood that there was a link between this punishment and their sinfulness but still appealed to Moses to intercede with God on their behalf. Given the ban on making and worshipping graven images as laid down by the Law, the solution offered by God may seem strange. Moses was to make a bronze serpent and put in on a pole. Anyone bitten by a snake was to look at this image and in doing so would live. Perhaps God understood that his people had not completely converted and that they would still be influenced by the beliefs and rites of their previous existence. So God used something with which they were familiar but invested it with new meaning. Those bitten by the snakes were required to look up – away from themselves – and to not only see but also to believe that they would be saved. Later, in John’s gospel, we hear Jesus speaking of this incident and comparing it to the way in which he too would be lifted up to bring salvation.

• • What do you think the people wanted God to do?
  • Has God ever helped you in ways that you could not have expected?

Pray for someone you know who is in need of healing.