God’s Love is AMAZING!

MOSES AND THE BRONZE SERPENT

Welcome back to our last meeting of SUMMERBLAST 2024!!!

Over the past 3 weeks we have learned that…

Following the Lord is FUN!!!

Disobeying the Lord is DISASTROUS!!!

God’s grace is INCREDIBLE!!!

Today we are going to see that…

God’s love is AMAZING!!!

How many of you like snakes?

Snakes can be pretty scary and dangerous. Some are venomous and can kill you.

Did you know the worlds smallest snake is called a Barbados Threadsnake and can fit on top of a quarter.

the largest snake is the Green Anaconda and can grow up to 33 feet long which is about the length of a school bus.

Today we are going to see a story in the book of numbers that involves some dangerous snakes and the people of Israel and the way God saves his people.

As the Israelites are wondering in the wilderness, they come across the Canaanites and begin fighting them. The Canaanites take some people from Israel captive and Israel doesn’t like that, so they turn to God.

They said to God…

Numbers 21:2 (ESV)

2 …If you will indeed give this people into my hand, then I will devote their cities to destruction.”

God responded by answering them and letting them go and destroy the Canaanites and their cities.

All this is good right? The people are turning to God for help rather than relying on their own strength and efforts. This is how it should be for them.

But right after God did all this for Israel, they begin to complain again, but not just about water this time, but their food as well.

Numbers 21:4–5 (ESV)

4 …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. 5 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.”

Who is it that the people of Israel are speaking against?

God and Moses

What has happened in the past is the people grumbled and complained against Moses and Aaron but now they complain directly to God and Moses this time.

They just listened and obeyed God and now they are complaining.

It says that they loathe the food. What food?

The manna.

Now because they complained to God something bad was going to happen.

Remember, disobeying the Lord is disastrous, and it is about to be disastrous for them.

Numbers 21:6 (ESV)

6 Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.

God sent these scary poisonous snakes all around the people of Israel and many are bitten and die.

Does this sound like a pretty bad punishment? I think so.

This happened because they decided to complain rather than trust in God to provide like he always has.

God is going to provide a way to save the people of Israel from the scary poisonous snakes

Let’s see the response of the Israelites after they begin getting bitten and die.

Numbers 21:7 (ESV)

7 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.

What is it that the people of Israel realized they have done?

They have sinned against God.

So they pray that the Lord would take away the serpents, they want the things that hurt them to be taken away from them.

They are being punished for sinning against God and not trusting Him.

Now lets see what God does in response to their prayers.

Numbers 21:8–9 (ESV)

8 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.” 9 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.

God made a way for the people to be saved from the serpents which was a result of their sin.

God told Moses to make a serpent and put it on a staff and if anyone who was bitten by a poisonous snake would live.

This was a way that God would save the people and all they had to do was look at the staff.

That seems like a pretty easy way to be saved right?

That’s because God loves His people and wants them to turn to him.

God made a way to save them and all they had to do was look.

God did something even more amazing. You see this event points forward to a time when God would make a way for all to be saved.

In John 3, Jesus is meeting with a Pharisee named Nicodemus and Jesus tells him...

John 3:14–16 (ESV)

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Just as God provided a way for the people serpents which was a result of their sin, God has made a way for all people to be saved from the punishment of our sin.

Jesus dying on the cross for us was the way God chose to save us. God did this because he loves us and wants us to spend the rest of our lives with Him and for Him.

But we must do one 2 things

Repent of our sin

And believe in Jesus and what he did for us

In a moment, you will go with your tribe for a snack and to discuss what we have talked about and the memory verse we have been working on this month.

Numbers 6:24–26 ESV

24 The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.