NEHUSHTAN
By Pastor Jim Allen
March 11th,
2018
The nation of Israel
had been in the desert for less than 40 years.
And they were grouchy.
As far we know, and as
far as we can understand, the only food was Manna and Quail.
Now God provided the
manna and quail, but the good Israeli’s were longing for a good MacDonald’s
hamburger just for a change of pace.
Every time folks
started to complain, it was usually because the army of Pharaoh was moving in
on them at the Red Sea, or because they were hungry or needed water.
God always provided for
them, maybe not on their time schedule, but certainly on God’s.
After all, God is
trying to develop their faith before they enter the promise land.
Kind of critical, and
here is why?
If the Israelites could
not handle the current difficulties in the wilderness, they probably will not
be any good at handling life in the Promised Land.
Especially, considering
the Promised Land is occupied by giants (Anakim) and other Canaanites who were
kind of tough customers.
Here is a
management principle:
When hiring, don’t hire someone who is trying to escape a situation. If they
can’t handle the problems there, they will probably not be able to handle the
problems at your location.
There are always
exceptions… but not usually!
Here is Personal
Growth principle:
If you are seeking to escape a situation as just described, and God does not
seem to be answering… maybe you need to ask God how He wants you to handle the
current situations which are distressing you… just maybe… YOU NEED TO GROW! OR,
just maybe… YOU NEED TO BE HUMBLED!
In any event, the folks
in the wilderness start complaining about the food and the Guy who is supplying
the food is a little disgusted…
By the way, the Guy
supplying the food is God. Just in case you are not keeping up with the
conversation.
So, God, decides to
send poisonous viperous snakes.
Now, God loves drama,
IF you like to give God drama, He will give it back…
So, God allows the Israelites to walk into a viper’s nest and they start
getting bit.
SNAKE
STUFF: God did not necessarily ‘send’ the snakes
anymore than God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. However, this did not keep God from
letting His people be stupid by wandering into a viper’s nest. The possible
type of snake would have been the Psammophis schokari. This snake, viper, serpent is called a racer and
is very fast. It can run at speeds of 10 MPH. To give you an idea, the world’s
fastest human Usain Bolt can run 100 meters at 28 MPH, this is a very short
distance. A normal, in shape runner could run 10-15 MPH for a short time. The
LIVESCIENCE website suggests human potential to max out someday at 40 MPH. For
most of us however, we would not be able to out run them! Someone in my age
category would be around 4-5 MPH. As a metaphor, if the given serpents in
Numbers 21 are this type of snake, then the metaphor is further extended
because these snakes are polymorphic. In other words, they blend into their
climate. They are easily adaptable, Just like Satan is in trying to trick us. These
types of snakes very in color and pattern from Northern Israel to the Sinai
desert. You would think close proximity would make them homogeneous. However, they
morph into the needs of their climate. This is similar to the idea of evil
taking on the culture around it.
*** END
OF SNAKE STUFF
Now, it should not be
lost on anyone that the great Screenwriter in the Sky is using some metaphors.
The symbol of sin in
the Garden of Eden was a serpent.
Because of the
beguiling serpent in the Garden of Eden, the Bible tells the snake… from this time forth you will have to
slither on your belly and I will put enmity between woman and you.
Ironically, National
Institutes of Health study does indicate that…
Moreover, there is a consistent sex difference in the incidence of snake and spiker phobias; women are four times more likely than men to have fears and phobias for these, but not other stimuli (e.g., injections, heights, flying) (Fredrikson et al., 2006; MArks, 1969).
Now we always need to
be careful about taking such studies to the bank… but it is interesting.
Scientists suggest this
is an evolutionary response.
Woman are traditionally
in charge of the home and children, and a stronger response against spiders and
snakes is a protective mechanism.
***
ANECDOTE: Carol, Mary, Theresa and the Snake
One day Carol
discovered a snake in our yard in Georgia.
Carol ran to get a hoe
and entered into moral combat with the snake. Somehow… I feel sorry for that snake…
In any event, Carol
started chopping away and as pieces of the snake would fly up in the air… a
chorus of screams from our neighbors, Mary and Theresa would echo throughout
the neighborhood.
Anyone looking at them that
day had to have a good laugh.
*** END
OF ANECDOTE
In any event, the
Israelites should have considered this metaphor as they were running for their
lives…
Run from sin… their
complaining and lack of faith was SIN!
So, God must have
thought, let’s make that ‘running from sin’ lesson at little more ‘interactive.
I mean think about it…
other than people running for their lives, woman screaming, etc. It had to be
just a little comical.
However, God offers
redemption from the ‘snake bite of sin.’
We shouldn’t be
surprised! 1 Corinthians 10:13… a memory verse… says…
There hath no
temptation taken you such as is common to man, but God will, with the
temptation, make a way to escape!”
And, that is where our
story gets interesting… God gives Moses a command that breaks the following
commandments….
· Graven image…
· No Idols…
Whaaaaat????
God says to fashion a
bronze or copper serpent, a graven image, and put it up on a pole.
Then God says… if you
are bitten, then by looking up at the serpent, you will be healed!
And so, many folks who
were bitten did that very thing!
Now why, you might ask…
did God violate two of His own commandments…
Here is why!
God was giving the
Israelites of that time a picture of redemption that would one day come in the
Lord Jesus Christ.
In addition, God was giving
this demonstration so that Jesus could refer to HIMSELF as Nehushtan in John 3.
You will remember that
Nicodemus came to Jesus asking how to be ‘born again.’
After some discussion,
Jesus reminds Nicodemus, a religious leader of the story of the bronze (copper)
serpent. Here is the story in John 3:10-21…
Jesus says, 10 “You are
Israel’s teacher,” said
Jesus, “and do you
not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we
know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and
you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into
heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.[e] 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the
wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,[f] 15 that everyone who
believes may have eternal life in him.” 16 For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him
shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the
world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him
is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because
they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come
into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds
were evil. 20 Everyone who
does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that their
deeds will be exposed. 21 But
whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly
that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
As a matter of fact,
this passage regarding the snake is key to understanding ALL OF JOHN 3.
God supplies REDEMPTION
TO ALL, BUT ALL TO NOT ACCEPT GOD’S REDEMPTION!
Look at John 3:17-18
one more time…
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the
world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever
believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned
already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
God is not a God of
condemnation! Remember, NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD! (Romans
8:28)
So, in this passage in
John 3 we discover that Jesus (God) did not come to condemn the world, but we
condemn ourselves by not believing.
In similar fashion, the
snake bit Israelites would not die, if they believe in God’s Word (not the
snake) to look at the snake.
Now here is a really,
cool part! In 2 Corinthians 5:21…
21 God made Jesus who had no
sin to be sin for us,
so that in Jesus we might become the righteousness of God.
Faith is critical. Even in the wilderness, God wanted the Israelites
notice an object without sin, would be sin for them. Their obedient faith in
believing God’s Words as given to Moses… would SAVE THEM!
You see, as Christ was raised up… JESUS WAS SIN FOR US! In order, that
you could be declared righteous.
Now let’s get back to
God breaking two of His own commandments.
First, as I have
preached before, God uses things that are our weaknesses to often bring us to
salvation.
I told you how I became
a Christian because I was chasing a girl.
God knew my weaknesses
at that time.
Just to make sure we
understand each other, I no longer have that weakness.
I only have eyes for
Miss Carol… now back to our story…
The Israelites were
prone to idolatrous worship of graven images. It was prevalent in all the
cultures around them and we know one thing for certain…
The Israelites seemed
to want to be ‘like everyone else!’
In any event, God
sometimes allowed what anthropologists call… sympathetic magic.
Sympathetic magic is a
sin… but God knew that their weakness might be able to draw them to Him…
To get their attention…
after all… people seem to more interested in ritual and hocus pocus that in a
real relationship with the one true God.
Sympathetic magic is
making an image out of the problem.
In this case, the
problem is snakes… so the Israelites little pagan hearts would understand
making a graven image in the form of a snake.
And, Moses had to get
it done quick… the nation, the people were dying… that is why Moses used copper
or bronze.
Plus, bronze represents
mankind in the Bible.
God had done this
method of getting the Israelites attention at least one other time… and it is
kind of funny!
This story is found in
1 Samuel…
The Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant in a battle with Israel. However, that’s when their troubles
really began.
The Philistines brought the ark to Ashdod
and set it up next to their god, Dagon.
The Philistines took the ark of God ... unto Ashdod ... into
the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. 1 Samuel 5.1-2
The next morning Dagon had fallen on his face. There is a joke there some place...
When they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon
was fallen upon his face. 5.3
So, they put Dagon back in his place, but the next morning
he had fallen again, and this time his head and hands had fallen off, so he was
no more than a stump.
Talk about a god coming apart at the seams!
When they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon
was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head
of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only
the stump of Dagon was left to him. 5.4
Then God started to get nasty. He destroyed the people of
Asdod and smote those that survived with hemorrhoids.
Probably, it was swollen lymph nodes called buboes, but hemorrhoids are funnier!
But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and
he destroyed them, and smote them with hemorrhoids (hemorrhoids). 5.6
So, the people of Ashdod decided to send the ark to another
Philistine city: Gath.
What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they
answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they
carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither. 5.8
And then God smote the people of Gath, the small and the
great, with hemorrhoids in their secret parts.
The hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great
destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they
had hemorrhoids in their secret parts. 5.9
After that, what do you think the Gathites decided to do
with God's ark? They sent it to Ekron.
Therefore, they sent the ark of God to Ekron. 5.10
When the ark arrived at Ekron, God did the usual thing: he
killed most of the people and gave the rest hemorrhoids.
There was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the
hand of God was very heavy there. And the men that died not were smitten with
the hemorrhoids and the cry of the city went up to heaven. 5.11-12
The Bible doesn't say how many people were slain that day in Ashod...
6 When the ark of the Lord had been in Philistine
territory seven months, 2 the Philistines called for the priests and
the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place.”
3 They answered, “If you return the ark of the
god of Israel, do not send it back to him without a gift; by all means
send a guilt offering to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know
why his hand has not been lifted from you.”
4 The Philistines asked, “What guilt offering
should we send to him?”
They replied, “Five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to
the number of the Philistine rulers, because the same plague has
struck both you and your rulers. 5 Make models of the
tumors and of the rats that are destroying the country, and give
glory to Israel’s god. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you and your
gods and your land. 6 Why
do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When Israel’s
god dealt harshly with them, did they not send the Israelites out so
they could go on their way?
Now you might ask about the Gold Rats?
The Gold Rats were part of the curse!
Many commentators believe these were not
hemorrhoids but swollen lymph nodes.
Here is what Mayo’s indicate are the symptoms of bubonic plaque…
*** MAYOS: Bubonic plague
Bubonic plague is the most common variety of
the disease. It's named after the buboes — swollen lymph nodes — which
typically develop within a week after an infected flea bites you. Buboes may
be:
·
Situated in the groin,
armpit or neck
·
About the size of a
chicken egg
·
Tender and warm to the
touch
Other signs and symptoms may include:
·
Sudden onset of fever
and chills
·
Headache
·
Fatigue or malaise
·
Muscle aches
***
END OF MAYOS
CONCLUSION
2 Kings 18:1-4
18 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of
Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2 He
was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem
twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of
Zechariah. 3 He did what was
right in the eyes of the Lord, just as
his father David had done. 4 He
removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down
the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces
the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had
been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)
You see how stupid, how pagan, even believers can descend to
be?
God’s people forgot about God and started to worship the
object.
We are not to worship the cross, but our Lord who died in
our place.
So, understand the tears in God’s heart on this day of
Nehushtan, in which God commands Moses to break His commandments…
You see, God was looking that day at His people with
disappointment… and simultaneously looking forward to the day Jesus was on the
cross and died.
The day, in which God had to die for us!
A day, in which the law, the commandments had to be broken
for you and for me!
May God Add His Blessing to the Reading and Teaching of His
Word.
