impatient people

Numbers 21:4-9

4 Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey.

5 And the people spoke against God and 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 loathe this miserable food."

6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.

7 So the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and you; intercede with the LORD, that He may remove the serpents from us." And Moses interceded for the people.

8 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he shall live."

9 And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.

1) the people became impatient with the journey
a. why – God was not moving the way they expected and wanted Him to
2) the people spoke against God
a. why – they were not getting their way
3) we loathe this miserable food
a. why – God’s grace and provision was not sufficient for them
4) sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people so that many died
a. why – impatience, disobedience and rejecting God’s grace give opening to the wiles of this world (sin) to get a hold on our lives
5) what was their response
a. the people acknowledged their sin (in answer to the consequences they were paying)
b. they sought intercession for forgiveness
c. the Lord provided the ‘standard’ that was lifted up for their salvation
d. their role was to believe by faith that the standard would give them life

How is this story any different than the way things are today ?

We are an impatient people, who speak against the things of the Lord, who ignore His grace and so live in the misery and lifelessness of sin……but we can be redeemed from this rut just as the Hebrews were – acknowledge our sin, seek intercession, ask for forgiveness, look to the one who paid the price – our standard – the Lord Jesus Christ for the joy of our salvation…and live in the abundant life that He has for us…..

Jesus is our standard…..He was lifted up for us……by His grace and mercy perfect intercession is made…..forgiveness is granted….He calls upon us to believe by faith and live………
prb