BIBLE PASSAGES
Numbers 19:1-22:1
Judges 11:1-33
John 3:9-21
"So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people.
Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!” So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!" – Numbers 21:6-9
“So you see, it was the Lord, the God of Israel, who took away the land from the Amorites and gave it to Israel. Why, then, should we give it back to you?" - Judges 11:23
“And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.” - John 3:14
“For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him." – John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world that He made a way. How we often forget about the simple truth that He made a way. I find it very comforting to just trust the Word. It is complete in its guidance for our life and well-being.
The Word of God has never once let me down. The Word has always brought me closer to my Creator, to help me understand more about who I am and more about who He is in my life.
The children of Israel, time and again, show examples that they had trouble with their belief in God. They were consistent in complaining and grumbling and sporadic in their praise and worship of Yahweh. Their flesh regularly and consistently got in the way of their development of a relationship with God.
In this week’s Torah portion we gain better insight into the history of God and His interaction with the people. From there we move to the fulfilled covenant where God, through John, reveals the past, brings us into the present, and opens the future for the redemption of mankind.
We all need healing spiritually, emotionally, and physically. That can be found in John 3:14-17. We often overlook verse 14 of John chapter 3, because of verse 16 and its popularity. However, we see John refer to the way Christ was lifted up for our healing and the way death was conquered by Him being lifted up. This word picture in John 3:14 brings us back to this week’s Torah portion when the children of Israel had to look up at the snake on the pole in order to be healed.
We must come to the understanding in our lives that we need to look up to the author and finisher of our faith in Jesus Christ. He is the only way to receive all the healing we need. Take time today to consider God’s ways being higher than our ways. His infinite plan is so beautiful that we need to pause, and ask ourselves what this means to us.
Questions for Reflection:
▪ God is looking for those who will trust Him with child-like faith. Am I able to come to him as a child?
▪ His grace is sufficient when I am rebellious, but am I willing to repent and believe in His sufficiency?
▪ Am I quick to point the finger when the issue is my own unbelief?
▪ We need to be more like Nicodemus asking without understanding, yet open, with our hearts soft towards God. Is my heart soft towards God?
▪ Am I rebellious like the children of Israel in the wilderness?
▪ Like the serpent in the wilderness was lifted up, do I see my need to look up for spiritual, physical, and emotional healing by looking into the eyes of Jesus?
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