In the Wilderness: If I Be Lifted Up

Last Sunday we were in Number, chapter 18 listening to God give further instructions to Israel about the priesthood. As we arrive at chapter 21, it is now thirty-seven years later. Chapter twenty is a landmark chapter in the book in the life of Israel and the life of Moses. In the midst of arduous demands of leadership in the wilderness, Moses is going to ...

Suffer family bereavement in the loss of his sister

Serious opposition and complaints from the people of God

Intense frustration from their rebellious spirit, a loss of temper that leads to a very public display of disrespect for God that costs him entry into the Promised Land; and then at the end of the chapter, he experiences

A second family bereavement in the death of his brother, Aaron, and the subsequent transfer of the high priesthood to Eleazar.

At the beginning of chapter 21 we find Israel having to go south toward the Gulf of Akaba, and then east, and then back north to circle around the nation of Edom. It is an arid and rocky terrain. It didn’t take long before the difficulty of the march made the people impatient, and they started complaining again.

This part of the journey begins with a deadly challenge and a glorious victory; it continues with a now all too familiar whining and grumbling and complaining on the part of the people of God. It reveals to us the divine judgment. It displays for us a glorious salvation, and along the way it teaches us a hugely important truth about saving faith.

“When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them. 2 Then Israel made this vow to the LORD: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy their cities.” 3 The LORD listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites over to them. They completely destroyed them and their towns; so the place was named Hormah.” (Numbers 21:1–3, NIV84)

Israel is headed along what was called th King’s Highway. It was the main caravan route from Arabia into Canaan, and is still visible today. They are headed for the Plains of Moab, which means they must go right past the city of Atharim which is in the wilderness of Judah. King Arad attacked Israel, and Israel vowed to "make their cities a devoted thing" if God would give Israel victory. God gives Israel the victory and they completely destroy this small Canaanite kingdom. They name the place Hormah which means Place of Destruction. Their victory is going to be short-lived, and barely remembered one.

I. ISRAEL GRUMBLES ... AGAIN

“They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”” (Numbers 21:4–5, NIV84)

1. after the victory at Hormah we might have expected Israel to be exultantly grateful, and to have recognized a certain formula for victory in relation to the opposing Canaanites

You pray

You do what God tells you to do ... (we call that obedience)

You experience victory over your enemies

You praise God in gratitude

2. you might have expected Israel to be exultantly grateful and to have learned something from the opposition of this Canaanite king in the Negev, and the subsequent victory that God had granted them over him

a. but you would be wrong to expect that

1) the children of Israel were not grateful, and they did not turn over a new leaf

2) they didn't figure out what it was to walk with God rightly in the wilderness

b. because of that, Israel was going to have to go all the way around Edom through harsh territory

1) to call it a harsh territory is something of an understatement

ILLUS. 3,300 years after Moses and the children of Israel had made their journey through this wilderness, Lawrence of Arabia, early in the twentieth century, came through this same territory. Here is what he wrote about it: “This is a place of hopelessness and sadness deeper than all the open desert we had crossed. There was something sinister, something actively evil in this snake-devoted land, proliferant of salt water and barren palms and bushes which neither serve for grazing nor for firewood.”

2) in fact, Lawrence of Arabia describes them encountering hooded vipers and cobras, and blacksnakes in such great numbers that the men feared to walk in the night, and that even the bravest of his men were un-nerved by the multitude of poisonous snakes they encountered

3. in passing through that harsh territory, Israel did what Israel had done so many times before: they grew impatient, and they began to complain

a. by-the-way ... if you’re keeping track, this is the eighth time that we find the people grumbling

ILLUS. Perhaps a better name for the Book of Numbers would be the Book of Whiners.

4. Israel’s sin is five-fold

a. 1st, Israel Becomes Impatient ... But the people grew impatient on the way

1) this is at least in part the result of their own sin

a) the spies had gone into the land

b) they had told them of the good land

c) the majority of the spies had trembled; two of the spies had been faithful

2) the children of Israel followed the majority of the spies, and the mess that comes after their rejection of God's command to them to go into the land is their own making

3) isn’t this just like us? We sin, we reap the consequences of our sin, then we grumble to God about the consequences that we reaped because of our sin

b. 2nd, They Profanely and Disrespectfully and Irreverently Speak Against God and Moses ... they spoke against God and against Moses

c. 3rd, They Have the Gall to Call into Question God's Plan of Redemption ... Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert

1) basically they accuse God of having a lousy plan

2) now that takes some chutzpah!

d. 4th, They Doubt God's Ability to Provide for Them in the Wilderness ... There is no bread! There is no water

1) even though they have repeatedly seen God come through for them, they fall back into a familiar pattern of doubt and faithlessness

e. 5th, They Ungratefully Besmirch God's Provision for Them in the Wilderness ... And we detest this miserable food

5. how sinful is their sin?

a. they don't acknowledge God's power; they don't appreciate His generosity; they don't recognize His mercy; they don't accept His sovereignty; and, they don't trust His word–all rolled up into one ... that's how sinful their sin is

b. but understand this ... every time we sin, we do the same thing

1) every time we sin, every time we decide that we're going to do it our way and not God's way, we are doing the exact same thing as Israel

2) don't point your finger back at them until you realize when we do it our way we're doing the same thing

II. THE JUDGMENT

“Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.” (Numbers 21:6, NIV84)

1. some translations say fiery serpents which is a fine translation of the Hebrew, but it’s a reference to any kind of pit viper—most likely the carpet viper—which has an especially painful bite, and causes death by internal bleeding

2. in the past, when Israel had sinned, the glory of the Lord would usually appear and the judgment of the Lord would follow

a. but this time, there was no warning

b. the judgment came immediately as the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people

3. they had rejected God’s gift of life and health from heaven, so God sent them suffering and death from the earth, and many of the people died

a. Numbers 21:6 is a very real and painful reminder that the wages of sin is death

1) sin is the fiery serpent that plagues us all

2) it’s sting is painful, and its venom is deadly

b. of all sins, God can least bear the sin of ingratitude—to be delivered, and yet murmur!

ILLUS. To be ungrateful for mercy, is like Absalom who, as soon as David kissed him and took him into favor—he plotted treason against him.

ILLUS. The Roman philosopher Cicero said, "Ingratitude has nothing of evil lacking in it."

4. sometimes the lessons that we ought to learn in minor trials we only learn in greater trials; and sometimes our very complaints of adversity only lead us to greater adversity

“And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” 7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:5–11, NIV84)

a. the question for us is, Do we learn from the “fiery serpents” God sends our way?

III. THE REPENTANCE

“The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.” (Numbers 21:7, NIV84)

1. God, in His mercy, often uses trials, and tribulations to bring people to confession, repentance and prayer

ILLUS. P. T. Forsythe, a mid-19th century Scottish Congregationalist pastor and theologian, in commenting on this episode in Israel’s life, wrote, “The carpenter, when he glues together two boards, keeps them tightly clamped until the cement sets. So with our calamities and depressions and disappointments that crush us into closer contact with God, the pressure on us is kept until the soul's union with God is set; so that God, like a divine carpenter, will press us together to himself in trials until we stick to Him.”

2. in the past when Israel sinned, Moses had fallen on his face before the Lord and interceded for the people

a. but now the people come to Moses in genuine repentance—something we never saw the previous generation do—begging him to pray for them

b. it’s a small, but significant, sign that the new generation had a more sensitive heart toward the Lord

3. Moses once again intercedes on behalf of the people

a. there’s never a time when God’s people grow out of the need for repentance and confession

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” (1 John 1:9–10, NIV84)

IV. THE GRACE AND RESTORATION

“The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.” (Numbers 21:8–9, NIV84)

1. the Lord didn’t answer in the way the people might have expected

a. instead of immediately removing the serpents and healing the people who had been bitten, God instructed Moses to make a serpent of brass and put it on a pole where all the people could see it

b. if those who had been bitten looked at the serpent, they would be instantly healed

2. why would God command Moses make a model of a serpent, the very creature that was causing the people to die?

a. the very thing that brings judgement, will also be the source of grace and forgiveness

b. sin and death came into this world through a look according to Gen. 3:6 ... Eve saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable

c. similarly here in Numbers, the only deliverance from sin and eternal death is by a look of faith

1) it’s a solution that has no human explanation for its effectiveness

2) it was the efficacy of God’s power and grace, not the effect of nature or art

3. God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, said, “Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth” (Isa. 45:22, NKJV)

a. to look means to exercise faith, and the only way to be saved is by faith

b. imagine the joy in the camp of Israel when the word got out that there was a cure available for everybody

ILLUS. As a side note, according to 2 Kings 18:4, King Hezekiah destroyed the bronze snake because it had become an object of idolatry—700 years later.

V. JESUS LIFTED UP FOR US

1. three times in John’s gospel Jesus says that a time is coming when he will be lifted up

A. JESUS WAS ‘LIFTED UP’ SO THAT SIN’S DEBT MIGHT BE PAID

“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:14–16, NIV84)

1. Jesus proclaims that he is the sinner’s provision for all those bitten by the serpent of sin

a. all those who look to the death of Jesus in faith are healed and have eternal life

b. the motivation for God’s redemptive plan is grace that loves

c. the means of God’s redemptive plan is grace that gives

2. Jesus died for one reason and one reason only

a. He died a substitutionary death on the cross as an atonement for our sin

1) in English, that means He died on the cross in my place – and yours

b. in doing so, He made provision for the redemption of men who would believe upon the only begotten son of God and put their complete faith and trust in Him

3. when the sinner is regenerated by God the Holy Spirit, he is given the gifts of repentance and faith

a. regeneration is a word not used in many churches today, but it’s an important word

1) regeneration is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus

2) it is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which we respond in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ

b. repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace

4. our regeneration required a perfect sacrifice

a. that spotless, sinless sacrifice was Jesus

“God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice ... so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:25–26, NIV84)

5. many have tried to sanitize the Gospel to make it more appealing to a lost world

a. but when the blood of Jesus and His agony on the cross are stripped away from the Gospel message, there is no Gospel left!

b. deny the propitiation of Jesus through his shed blood and all that is left is a dead Jew crucified in 1st-century Judea whose death doesn't have the power to save one sinner from one sin or one moment in hell

B. JESUS WAS ‘LIFTED UP’ THAT WE MIGHT KNOW THAT HE WAS GOD COME IN THE FLESH

“So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.” (John 8:28–30, NIV84)

1. we see the cross everywhere in our society

a. we place it upon the top of our church steeples

b. rock stars where them around their neck, in their ears or even in their noses

c. we make pretty little book marks out of it to stick in our bibles

d. we see it on billboards

2. Hollywood would have us believe that it has magical powers against werewolves, vampires and all shapes and sizes of demons

3. what was the cross of Christ really all about?

4. the irony of the cross is that while it was a feared instrument of death, it was also a demonstration of God's redeeming love

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5, NIV84)

5. at the cross God demonstrated that ...

a. life has power over death

b. light has victory over darkness

c. that triumph can be achieved in the midst of defeat

d. most of all, it demonstrated that God really, really cares about your spiritual condition

6. when Jesus cried out from the cross "It is finished!" he was not talking about his life!

a. this is the cry of one who has paid the price and finished the work He came to do!

7. when Jesus made this cry, He was telling us that the price had been paid, God’s redemptive plan had been accomplished and that God was satisfied with the price that had been paid

8. on the cross, Jesus demonstrated His great love for sinners

ILLUS. Author Max Lucado has written: “If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior."

C. JESUS WAS ‘LIFTED UP’ SO THAT HE MIGHT DRAW MEN TO HIM

“But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.” (John 12:32–33, NIV84)

1. many people were gathered around the cross the morning Jesus of Nazareth was crucified

2. it was the Jewish Passover and Jerusalem was swollen with upwards to a million pilgrims

3. Jesus had been betrayed, tried and sentenced to death

a. as Jesus carried His cross through the streets of Jerusalem word must have spread quickly that the miracle-working rabbi from Nazareth was being led to Golgotha

b. by the time the execution party and their victim had arrived at the place of execution, many thousands were probably gathered in order to get a ring-side seat

4. Jesus said that when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself

a. you cannot ignore Jesus and His claims upon your life

b. the Holy Spirit draws men to the crucified savior and forces you to look upon His pierced hands and feet, and the wounded side, and the beaten and spat-upon face

1) and the Spirit whispers to your soul, He suffered this for you!

Bill Haast was one of the great “snake handlers” of our time. He was the director of the Miami Serpentarium Laboratories, a facility near Miami, Florida that produces snake venom for medical and research use. During his life he was bitten 172 times by various venomous snakes. Amazingly, he lived to the ripe old age of 101. From 1947 until 1984, he operated the Miami Serpentarium, a tourist attraction south of Miami, Florida, where he extracted venom from snakes in front of paying customers.

At the Serpentarium, Haast "milks" his snakes by forcing the reptiles to release their venom into a beaker. Then he sells the poisonous liquid to pharmaceutical companies that inject horses and sheep with non-fatal doses of venom. Over time, the animals naturally build up antibodies specifically designed to neutralize the injected venom. Eventually, samples of the animal's blood are collected, and the antibodies within are extracted and processed into commercial formulations of antivenom.

Ironically, the poison is the cure!

In the cross of Christ, the curse becomes our cure. It's a solution that has no human explanation for its effectiveness. The Cross of Calvary is the place where sinners look for healing of sin.

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