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).
A snake on a pole may seem a strange image to represent healing and blessing from God. But in the context of the story in our reading, that’s what happened. God made it so. And the people learned, as they often had done before, that they needed to trust in God.
We might not be surprised that the people grumbled against God and Moses in the desert. All around them was a trackless, howling wilderness, with searing heat and blinding sandstorms. Ahead of them were powerful enemies, barricaded in high, walled cities. But God had solved all of their crises before: bringing them through the Red Sea, giving them manna (bread), quail (meat), and water each day. With such a firm foundation for faith, was there any reason for the people not to trust God with their future?
The same question can apply today for God’s people who might grumble against him. And we have a lot more of God’s faithfulness in history to remind us of his care. We also have the good news of salvation through Jesus, who was lifted up on a cross for our sake. He took on himself all the punishment for sin and rebellion that was rightly ours to bear. Jesus even explained that the snake on a pole in Moses’ day pointed to his saving work on the cross. So everyone who looks to him and believes may now have eternal life.
Do you trust him?