A Misplaced Joy: The Bronze Serpent

Numbers 21:4-9

Why snakes? A lack of gratitude leads to bitterness, which ultimately stings to one harboring it. So as the Israelites were bitter there were physically being bitten.

Venom will blur vision, numb senses, and ultimately kill you. Just as sin can blur our sense of right and wrong, and numb us to the consequences. Finally sin will lead to death.

Interestingly enough, once God told them how to fix it, no one complained. Even though the remedy didn't make sense, no one argued. When God tells them to just look, He is essentially telling them "just believe".

John 3:1-15

Nicodemus knew the story of the Bronze Serpent, but didn't know the significance. Jesus was saying that all he'd studied was going to come full circle.

Hebrews 12:1-2
Looking to Jesus means believe, just like looking to the bronze serpent.

2 Corinthians 5:21
The cure for a snakes venom is more venom (as anti-venom). The cure for our life is another life (Jesus life).

1 Corinthians 1:18
Just like the bronze snake makes no sense to unbelievers, our salvation makes no sense. Free doesn't communicate because we're always look for the catch. A "free" month for signing up, etc.

Romans 6:23
Our payment is death. We can't earn life, only more death

Ephesians 2:8-9
Nothing we can do will match the free gift from God.

1 John 5:11-12
It is a simple Yes/No. You either have life or death, no partial credit is given.

John 3:16-21
We sometimes seem to hear verses so many times that we grow numb to it. We miss the immense power that is behind it.

Created 6 months ago