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The Bronze Serpent from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.

When the Israelites came out of Egypt, the Lord gave them the Ten Commandments written on tablets of stone. In essence, this was the beginning of a covenant relationship, similar to marriage vows today. 

God had already proven His faithfulness by delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt through many signs, wonders, miracles, and plagues. Now, if they were going to have a lasting relationship, where He would be their God, and they would be His people, then He would require something from them: faithfulness. That's the very first commandment He gave them.

(Exodus 20:1–5 NKJV)  And God spoke all these words, saying: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. "You shall have no other gods before Me. "You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God...

He repeated this many times:

(Leviticus 19:4 NKJV)  'Do not turn to idols, nor make for yourselves molded gods: I am the LORD your God.

In Isaiah, chapter 44, there is a wonderful story of how stupid the Lord views idolatry. A man plants a tree, and the rain makes it grow. He cuts down the tree, takes half of the wood, and builds a fire to bake his bread on. The other half, he shapes into an idol and bows before it, praying, "Save me, for you are my god!" He doesn't understand that the other half of his god is what's keeping him warm and cooking his food. That man is an imbecile, "a stupid person of low intelligence."

God looks down from heaven and laughs, but not all the time... On their journey, the people began to whine and complain. I mean, they said some downright horrible things about what the Lord had done for them and His provision. He was raining manna from heaven every morning, there was no sickness or disease found among them, and even their clothes did not wear out (Deuteronomy 29:5). That sounds pretty good to me, but they called His manna worthless and said their very soul hated it!

(Numbers 21:4–5 NKJV)  Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged 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 our soul loathes this worthless bread."

The Lord's response to, "our soul loathes this worthless bread" is in the next verse. "So you don't like what I have given you? How about this":

(Numbers 21:6 NKJV)  So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.

Who's laughing now? People often pay no attention to what they say, as if their words don't matter, and God doesn't care, but nothing could be further from the truth. What if God made everything you have said come to pass? Would it be good, or extremely bad?

(Numbers 14:27–28 NKJV)  "How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. Say to them, 'As I live,' says the LORD, 'just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you:"

"Oh, but that is the Old Testament." Yet, even Jesus Christ told the Pharisees this:

(Matthew 12:36–37 NKJV)  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

Your mouth can get your butt into serious trouble, but if you can learn to control your tongue, you guide the rest of your body. 

(James 3:3–5 NKJV)  Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!

After judgment falls, people always come to their senses. Amazing how that works. Isaiah 26:9 tells us that when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. 

(Numbers 21:7–9 NKJV)  Therefore 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. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live." So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

I am unsure why the Lord chose to do healing this way. Perhaps it was to show mercy to Moses so the people could just look at this pole and be healed rather than for him to deal with them all screaming, "Moses, a snake bit me! I perish!" There would have been a mighty long line at the tent of meeting. I am sure there is a much deeper parallel, but it's not for this message. The bronze serpent on a pole was also a symbol of the coming Messiah, who would be lifted up on a cross to save the people (John 3:14). 

Eight hundred years later, when Hezekiah became King of Judah, he destroyed this snake because the people had named it "Nehushtan" and were worshiping it. 

(2 Kings 18:4 NKJV)  He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan.

The bronze serpent began as something good, but after the people idolized it, it became something bad. Crucifixes and various religious icons are much like that. That isn't Jesus on your cross, for He is risen and not on a cross today. You pray directly to God, and no one else, alive, dead, or wooden, or you will be like the imbecile we discussed previously who prayed to half of his tree. 

It's fine these things remind us of Jesus, but they should be nothing more than that. Even the Bible can become an idol. We have to remember that the Bible is a divinely inspired book that teaches us about God, but it is not Him, and He can say something new today. God's not dead but alive and well, and He is not confined to the pages of a book any more than you are. 

You can pray this with me if you like: 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please let me see through Your eyes and root out idolatry from every area of my life. I am Yours, Lord, and I want to put nothing before You. Teach me what I need to know. Forgive my ignorance and help me get in tune with You. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!