Numbers 21: 4-9
After many years of wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites were weary and less confident that God would deliver them to the Promise Land. They had complained many times prior to this passage, but this time, their complaining has become toxic.
God provided water and food when they asked and he had been patient with them during all of their difficult times. Nearing the end of their journey, nothing seemed to satisfy them and the constant complaining caused God to respond in a way they never expected.
God’s wrath fell upon them in the form of fiery venomous Snakes, biting and killing people as they slept.
Their world had become ever more dangerous and unpredictable causing them to realize their sins and confess to Moses that they had spoken against God and begged for forgiveness.
God instructed Moses to place a Bronze Serpent on a pole and have the people who were bitten gaze upon the serpent’s face and become healed from their wounds.
The Israelites lost sight of the gift God had prepared for them during their many years in the wilderness and had become complainers about everything. In our daily life, we too, complain about things that we can not control. Our community is filled with things to complain about. Traffic, too many people, cost of living, COVID, the weather, our workplace, and all sorts of things cause us to talk among our family and friends and one complaint leads to another. Many of our complaints stem from fear of change and can not be solved unless we face God and meet the truth head on. Do we want to face our realities and free our lives of fear and unhappiness? Worshiping on Sunday morning is a time when we can face our fears and find healing, knowing that God’s love is steadfast and “indeed for us.”
