The 4th week of Lent
The complain of Israel people
Today’s content is divided into two paragraphs in a large scale. First paragraph is verses 4, 5. Though it is consisting of two verses only it contains all the existence that Israel history and mankind cope with. Today’s content is the end part of Israel people’s 40 years of desert life after Exodus. They might be assumed to reach Canaan within maximum two months but it already took 40 years. In our point of view, forty years seems insignificant but it was hard time for Israel people. The reader we know their desert life would be ended soon if they would endure the last moment little more but they knew nothing about it. As people who undergone severe trails think their life as an abandoned one, Israel people were tired of their desert life.
Their situation was much more opaque in a few points. Moses’ elder sister Miriam was dead (Num. 20:1) and his elder brother Aaron too. (Num. 20:28). Though Miriam and Aaron sometimes raised troubles but they were Moses’ brother and sisters and their spiritual charisma also were considerable. Because of the fact that they were dead before entering Canaan Israel people who expected to be with them till the end might be disappointed a lot.
Even their leader Moses was rebuked by God. When a drinking water dispute arose among them the Lord commended Moses, "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink."(Num. 20:8). Moses angered with Israel people who used to complain and struck the rock twice with his staff. God said Moses rebuking his behavior, “But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them."(12) Such news might spread to Israel people. Before such circumstance that even Moses wouldn’t enter into Canaan needless to say Israel people’s disappointment.
Today’s content explains another difficult situation. Look at verse 4. “They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way;” The route to get through Edom was a short cut to enter into the Canaan. So Moses sent an envoy and requested the king of Edom the permission to pass through his land. However, the king of Edom resolutely refused his request. (Num. 20:14-21) Israel people again had to turn their route to the south. It was annoying things that several millions of people including women, elders and children had to take long way around instead of a short cut. As I told you earlier, they were tired of 40 years of the desert life.
Israel people frankly complained to Moses in verse 5. “They spoke against God and against Moses, and said, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!’” Their complaining was not a pretend of hardship. They had a sense of impending crisis that they surely would annihilate in the desert. It was natural that they would be felt better to remain in Egypt as a slave rather than dying in the desert. They closely reached to Canaan but again had to go away from the land and it had repeated again and again for last 40 years. Even now they had to take a long way around. When we consider their practical situation their complaining attitude was not strange. They were always suffering from a shortage of drinking water and eating material. The miserable food that they detested might be manna. I wander shepherd Paul’s mother will not detest her home’s food after experiencing the delicious food in metropolitan city.
Brazen snake incident
The content moves into the second paragraph. When they complain about their life in the desert and the food, the Lord sent venomous snakes. Look at verse 6. “Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.” King James Version says the Lord sent fiery serpents. Fiery serpents named because once they were bitten by it the patient felt just as they were being burned by fire. When many people died of being bitten by the snakes, the 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." (7) Like this, people are always cunning in this way. Grumbling can come out at least at a certain level of bearing. When people are standing at the great divide, the boundary between death and life, they pray not to grumble. As people died of being bitten by fiery serpents they began to beg forgiveness and give them the opportunity of life. So Moses prayed for the people. Verse 8 narrates the Lord’s answer. "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." “And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.” (9)
You might feel strange when you were reading this story. Such story looks like a little childish. It is nonsense that the Lord killed people by sending fiery serpents due to their little grumbling. If God always responds in this way there no life can exist in this world. The fact was also somewhat funny that those who were bitten by the fiery serpents wouldn’t die when they beheld the serpent of brass. In Hebrew, the word ‘fiery’ can be translated not an adverb to modify ‘serpents’ but a noun ‘seraphim’ a sort of angel. (Isa. 6:2) The content is using seraphim, real serpent and brazen serpent in conflict way. And another problem is that the serpent was the ringleader of corrupting Adam and Eve, the ancestor of mankind, according to Genesis chapter 3. However, today’s content explains when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. (9) And at the point that the Bible originally regards worshiping a certain image as an idol worshipping, the myth of the brazen snake has some problem in it.
The most serious theological problem is as following. After long years of the brazen serpent incident Israel people settled in Canaan and opened the era of United Kingdom of Israel through the judge’s era. At the rule of Solomon’s son the country had divided into two, Southern Judah and Northern Israel. Hezekiah enthroned in Southern Judah. He was a great king like David. One of his great achievements was to break in peaces the brazen serpent that Moses made in the desert. Unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it by calling it Nehushtan. (2 King 18:4)
Likewise the Bible interprets about the brazen snake differently. The content of Numbers of today interprets it as the symbol of salvation but the Second King interprets it as an idol. What’s the matter of it? Of course their interpretation contradict each other if we see it eternally but it is not so when we enter into the content. Moses was clearly the person who made a brazen serpent and it worked as the symbol of salvation in the desert. There is no problem up to this level. However, it was wrong that Israel people worshiped the brazen serpent even after they settled in Canaan. The brazen serpent that should be stayed at as a religious symbol only but it changed into the object of worship. So Hezekiah broke it in pieces. Hezekiah dealt with his duty and Moses as well. Though the brazen serpent had historically changed its meaning, it had an important role in Moses’ time.
A symbol of salvation
Earlier I told you today’s content is consist of two paragraphs. It is natural to see two incidents occurred independently. It is because two incidents were not a very specific one. Such incident had frequently happened to them during 40 years of desert life. The complaining of Israel was not this time only but it had continued for 40 years as we live with complaining attitude for the entire 70 or 80 years of life. The complaining behavior cannot be changed by improving life condition but it is close to man’s nature. And also the appearance of a fiery snake was a normal incident. There are various dangerous animals in the desert that threatened Israel’s life. Not only snake but also there would be a poisonous spider and scorpion. The author interpreted by binding two different incidents into one, the appearance of a fiery snake was the results of Israel’s complaining.
The interpretation to kill Israel people by immediately sending fiery serpent seems too excessive. I don’t mean the explanation of the author of the Bible was wrong but I would like to say that we should not mechanically identify Israel’s grumbling with God’s punishment. We used to take a mistake when we interpret our history at the level of karma and promotion of virtue and reproval of vice. Of course it may have sense to children like if you lie then your nose grows long.
The way of life
Then was the author of Numbers writing not a fact but a folk tale? From this point of view, there are many folktale-like stories in the Bible. There are myth and magic too. However, it is not a groundless story. Though it seems a reckless in its form but a spiritual depth of these stories are profound. Look the message the author of Numbers tried to deliver by binding two stories. Verse 9b says, “So 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, he lived.” Now the author of Numbers tells us the story of snake in order to deliver one fact, the people should die in the desert but ‘didn’t die’. Why should be a snake? It might be the animal to catch the heart of the readers in the ancient Israel.
The author demands of Israel people to face with the matter of life and death through the brazen snake. The author demands them of taking a choice whether the way of death or life. The desert demanded them of the practical choice of death and life in general. At any moment, Israel people would be annihilated in the desert. It could be happened in the war or due to epidemic and even from drinking water. The fact God had protected their life in such dangers was their fundamental religious confession. Such confession was being symbolized as a brazen snake.
We finally may ask in this way. Why the author explained such confession connecting with the complaining of Israel? Shall we hear their complaining once again? "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!" The same complaining ceaselessly comes out from our mouth even today. We cry out the hardness of our life and shudder at the boring daily life. We are exactly the same people as Israel people of 3,400 years ago.
The author not only diagnosed man’s life correctly but also prescribed it rightfully. If people don’t feel the fullness of life in daily life then they may need the fiery snake. It is because people respond positively to their life when they face with strong stimulation. In this point, the fiery snake and brazen snake are not God’s punishment but expression of his grace.
The author of John’s gospel reinterpreted this brazen snake incident as Jesus’ cross incident. “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” (John 3:14,15) He says Jesus is the way to reach to the fullness of life. He says the cross of Jesus is the way to give life at the Grate Divide. We today meet a real life through Jesus’ cross.
STANDING AT THE GREAT DIVIDE
Numbers 21:4-9The complain of Israel people
Today’s content is divided into two paragraphs in a large scale. First paragraph is verses 4, 5. Though it is consisting of two verses only it contains all the existence that Israel history and mankind cope with. Today’s content is the end part of Israel people’s 40 years of desert life after Exodus. They might be assumed to reach Canaan within maximum two months but it already took 40 years. In our point of view, forty years seems insignificant but it was hard time for Israel people. The reader we know their desert life would be ended soon if they would endure the last moment little more but they knew nothing about it. As people who undergone severe trails think their life as an abandoned one, Israel people were tired of their desert life.
Their situation was much more opaque in a few points. Moses’ elder sister Miriam was dead (Num. 20:1) and his elder brother Aaron too. (Num. 20:28). Though Miriam and Aaron sometimes raised troubles but they were Moses’ brother and sisters and their spiritual charisma also were considerable. Because of the fact that they were dead before entering Canaan Israel people who expected to be with them till the end might be disappointed a lot.
Even their leader Moses was rebuked by God. When a drinking water dispute arose among them the Lord commended Moses, "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink."(Num. 20:8). Moses angered with Israel people who used to complain and struck the rock twice with his staff. God said Moses rebuking his behavior, “But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them."(12) Such news might spread to Israel people. Before such circumstance that even Moses wouldn’t enter into Canaan needless to say Israel people’s disappointment.
Today’s content explains another difficult situation. Look at verse 4. “They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way;” The route to get through Edom was a short cut to enter into the Canaan. So Moses sent an envoy and requested the king of Edom the permission to pass through his land. However, the king of Edom resolutely refused his request. (Num. 20:14-21) Israel people again had to turn their route to the south. It was annoying things that several millions of people including women, elders and children had to take long way around instead of a short cut. As I told you earlier, they were tired of 40 years of the desert life.
Israel people frankly complained to Moses in verse 5. “They spoke against God and against Moses, and said, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!’” Their complaining was not a pretend of hardship. They had a sense of impending crisis that they surely would annihilate in the desert. It was natural that they would be felt better to remain in Egypt as a slave rather than dying in the desert. They closely reached to Canaan but again had to go away from the land and it had repeated again and again for last 40 years. Even now they had to take a long way around. When we consider their practical situation their complaining attitude was not strange. They were always suffering from a shortage of drinking water and eating material. The miserable food that they detested might be manna. I wander shepherd Paul’s mother will not detest her home’s food after experiencing the delicious food in metropolitan city.
Brazen snake incident
The content moves into the second paragraph. When they complain about their life in the desert and the food, the Lord sent venomous snakes. Look at verse 6. “Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.” King James Version says the Lord sent fiery serpents. Fiery serpents named because once they were bitten by it the patient felt just as they were being burned by fire. When many people died of being bitten by the snakes, the 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." (7) Like this, people are always cunning in this way. Grumbling can come out at least at a certain level of bearing. When people are standing at the great divide, the boundary between death and life, they pray not to grumble. As people died of being bitten by fiery serpents they began to beg forgiveness and give them the opportunity of life. So Moses prayed for the people. Verse 8 narrates the Lord’s answer. "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." “And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.” (9)
You might feel strange when you were reading this story. Such story looks like a little childish. It is nonsense that the Lord killed people by sending fiery serpents due to their little grumbling. If God always responds in this way there no life can exist in this world. The fact was also somewhat funny that those who were bitten by the fiery serpents wouldn’t die when they beheld the serpent of brass. In Hebrew, the word ‘fiery’ can be translated not an adverb to modify ‘serpents’ but a noun ‘seraphim’ a sort of angel. (Isa. 6:2) The content is using seraphim, real serpent and brazen serpent in conflict way. And another problem is that the serpent was the ringleader of corrupting Adam and Eve, the ancestor of mankind, according to Genesis chapter 3. However, today’s content explains when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. (9) And at the point that the Bible originally regards worshiping a certain image as an idol worshipping, the myth of the brazen snake has some problem in it.
The most serious theological problem is as following. After long years of the brazen serpent incident Israel people settled in Canaan and opened the era of United Kingdom of Israel through the judge’s era. At the rule of Solomon’s son the country had divided into two, Southern Judah and Northern Israel. Hezekiah enthroned in Southern Judah. He was a great king like David. One of his great achievements was to break in peaces the brazen serpent that Moses made in the desert. Unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it by calling it Nehushtan. (2 King 18:4)
Likewise the Bible interprets about the brazen snake differently. The content of Numbers of today interprets it as the symbol of salvation but the Second King interprets it as an idol. What’s the matter of it? Of course their interpretation contradict each other if we see it eternally but it is not so when we enter into the content. Moses was clearly the person who made a brazen serpent and it worked as the symbol of salvation in the desert. There is no problem up to this level. However, it was wrong that Israel people worshiped the brazen serpent even after they settled in Canaan. The brazen serpent that should be stayed at as a religious symbol only but it changed into the object of worship. So Hezekiah broke it in pieces. Hezekiah dealt with his duty and Moses as well. Though the brazen serpent had historically changed its meaning, it had an important role in Moses’ time.
A symbol of salvation
Earlier I told you today’s content is consist of two paragraphs. It is natural to see two incidents occurred independently. It is because two incidents were not a very specific one. Such incident had frequently happened to them during 40 years of desert life. The complaining of Israel was not this time only but it had continued for 40 years as we live with complaining attitude for the entire 70 or 80 years of life. The complaining behavior cannot be changed by improving life condition but it is close to man’s nature. And also the appearance of a fiery snake was a normal incident. There are various dangerous animals in the desert that threatened Israel’s life. Not only snake but also there would be a poisonous spider and scorpion. The author interpreted by binding two different incidents into one, the appearance of a fiery snake was the results of Israel’s complaining.
The interpretation to kill Israel people by immediately sending fiery serpent seems too excessive. I don’t mean the explanation of the author of the Bible was wrong but I would like to say that we should not mechanically identify Israel’s grumbling with God’s punishment. We used to take a mistake when we interpret our history at the level of karma and promotion of virtue and reproval of vice. Of course it may have sense to children like if you lie then your nose grows long.
The way of life
Then was the author of Numbers writing not a fact but a folk tale? From this point of view, there are many folktale-like stories in the Bible. There are myth and magic too. However, it is not a groundless story. Though it seems a reckless in its form but a spiritual depth of these stories are profound. Look the message the author of Numbers tried to deliver by binding two stories. Verse 9b says, “So 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, he lived.” Now the author of Numbers tells us the story of snake in order to deliver one fact, the people should die in the desert but ‘didn’t die’. Why should be a snake? It might be the animal to catch the heart of the readers in the ancient Israel.
The author demands of Israel people to face with the matter of life and death through the brazen snake. The author demands them of taking a choice whether the way of death or life. The desert demanded them of the practical choice of death and life in general. At any moment, Israel people would be annihilated in the desert. It could be happened in the war or due to epidemic and even from drinking water. The fact God had protected their life in such dangers was their fundamental religious confession. Such confession was being symbolized as a brazen snake.
We finally may ask in this way. Why the author explained such confession connecting with the complaining of Israel? Shall we hear their complaining once again? "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!" The same complaining ceaselessly comes out from our mouth even today. We cry out the hardness of our life and shudder at the boring daily life. We are exactly the same people as Israel people of 3,400 years ago.
The author not only diagnosed man’s life correctly but also prescribed it rightfully. If people don’t feel the fullness of life in daily life then they may need the fiery snake. It is because people respond positively to their life when they face with strong stimulation. In this point, the fiery snake and brazen snake are not God’s punishment but expression of his grace.
The author of John’s gospel reinterpreted this brazen snake incident as Jesus’ cross incident. “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” (John 3:14,15) He says Jesus is the way to reach to the fullness of life. He says the cross of Jesus is the way to give life at the Grate Divide. We today meet a real life through Jesus’ cross.
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