Serpent on a stick
Does God punish us to teach us a lesson?
From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. 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 detest this miserable food.’ Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.’ So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live. - Numbers 21:4-9
One interpretation of today's reading is that God doesn't directly take away the evils of the world, even evils He has created, but delivers us from them.
Moses erects a serpent on a pole to heal those bitten. All they have to do is look at the image of what bit them and they will be healed. Imagine if it was that simple for us to be cured of COVID-19.
Jesus uses this story to explain his own story, how he will be lifted up for the salvation of many. When we face what sin has consumed us and let it go, we can be healed of it.
For us it is that simple too. All who look upon the cross and believe in Christ will be saved from death.
We might think the lesson here is that God will send bad things our way of we complain against Him, and that seems to be the way the story was written, but in those days, people thought God was responsible for all that happens to us, good and bad.
We don't think that way anymore. We see trouble come and while some say it is God's doing, many don't blame God for plagues and serpents.
What is key here is that God responds to our prayers and gives us a way to be healed.
That is what Christ's coming is all about.
More to come...