It wasn’t a real snake. It was made of brass, twisted around a pole and placed very high for everyone to see. I expect you would like to know why that serpent of shining brass was up there in the sunlight that day. Here is the story: The people of God were camping in the desert near the end of their long, forty-year journey. They had very many tents, all placed in the order that God had commanded. God had taken good care of His people for all those long years of travel. Now their journey was nearly over, and the shortest route was straight ahead, through the land belonging to their father’s brother.
Can we use your highway? Moses asked.
No! And it was a definite answer.
We won’t spoil anything, and we’ll pay for whatever we use.
The answer was still, No!
God’s people were really discouraged. God would not let them fight about it, and they were all angry inside.
Do you understand their feelings? Do you feel like that too when things are not fair? God cares about your disappointment. In fact, He cared so much about His people’s disappointment that He made their trouble a whole lot worse!
Are you saying, “I don’t understand”? We have a God who is much wiser than we are. He can see that we don’t always need a smooth trail, but we always need Him.
God sent fiery serpents (serpents are snakes) slithering under the tent walls, and their terrible, poisonous bites began killing the people.
If God hates complainers, you and I deserve to die too, and that’s why God tells you this story. He wants to save you, but first of all He wants you to see that you need to be saved.
The people cried out to Moses, Ask God to take away the snakes! They were ready and wanted to be saved now, but they chose the wrong way of salvation. If God only took away the snakes, there were all those people who were already bitten who would certainly die, and that would be a lot of deaths.
Are you ready to be saved now? If you cry out to Him, be sure to let Him choose how to save you. He has already sent His only begotten Son to die for you, because He knew you needed Him. Let Him save you by the blood of Jesus who died for you! God has no other way.
The Bible does not say if God took away the snakes. It does tell us that He told Moses to make a serpent of brass and set it up high on a pole so that everyone could see it. The reason for the brass serpent was this - one look at that serpent on the pole meant instant cure! The bitten person was healed at once . . . it only took one look!
No doctor in the world could ever plan a cure like that, and no arguing could change it. God’s promise was true; all they needed was just to look. And God’s promise is true for you too. Jesus who died on the cross is the only Savior of sinners. His way is perfect. Why will you die without Him? “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else” (Isaiah 45:2222Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:22)).
I cannot tell you what happened to the snakes on the ground, but I know what happened to the brass serpent on the pole. We’ll tell you about it in the next story.
Think About God’s Word!
1. What did the Lord send to make the people turn to Him?
2. Have you ever been in a difficult situation where you began to pray and things seemed to get worse? Does God always answer prayers immediately? One answer can be found in Daniel 10:2-3,10-132In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. 3I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled. (Daniel 10:2‑3)
10And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. 11And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. 12Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. 13But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. (Daniel 10:10‑13).
Project: How many prayers can you find in the Bible that took at least one year to be answered or still haven’t been answered? You’ll find one in Romans 10.