Joel M Bradshaw

4They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” 6Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.–Numbers 21

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” 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. (John 3:14-16)

1. THE PEOPLE WERE IN AN IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION.
2. THEIR ONLY HOPE WAS TO TURN TO GOD FOR DELIVERANCE.
3. AND SO GOD DESIGNED AN ANSWER WHERE THE AFFLICTED HUMBLED THEMSELVES BEFORE GOD AND TRUSTED IN HIS CHOSEN MEANS OF SALVATION FOR THEM.
4. JESUS WOULD SOON BE LIFTED UP. ALL WHO HUMBLE THEMSELVES AND TRUST JESUS FOR SALVATION WILL BE SAVED FROM THE IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION OF THEIR SINS.
5. TO SOME PEOPLE, THE BRONZE SNAKE AND THE MESSIAH DYING AS A SUBSTITUE SOUND SILLY.
6. BUT THEY WERE GOD’S CHOSEN MEANS OF SALVATION.
7. HAVE YOU HUMBLY ADMITTED YOUR SITUATION IS IMPOSSIBLE AND ACCEPTED GOD’S ONLY SALVATION PATH FOR YOU?–JMB