Disobedience Recognized

    Moses now knows that he will not be able to go into the promised land. However, he does not give up on his responsibilities before God and continues to help God's people.

    Even in the 40th year of their journeying in the wilderness there people that were still grumbling. There were still people who didn't believe to receive from God the promises that He had given them.

    Consult the map entitled "Map of the Exodus." From Kadesh-Barnea they head west by Edom.

Numbers 21
:4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea,
    to compass the land of Edom:
[This must be the northern coast of the Gulf of Aqabah which as also been called the Sea of Reeds]
    and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
:5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses,
        Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?
        for there is no bread,
        neither is there any water;
        and our soul loatheth this light bread.

    This is the first time they complained about the road. They were also getting tired of the free food--Manna, they were not thankful. Once again they complain about the water situation. Since they had seen God give them water before when they asked why didn't they just ask again? They needed to be shown repeatedly.

:6 And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people,
    and they bit the people;
    and much people of Israel died.
:7 Therefore the people came to Moses and said,
        We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord,
        and against thee;
    pray unto the Lord,
        that he take away the serpents from us.
    And Moses prayed for the people.

    They finally realize that they were off of the ball and that is was their lack of believing and not trusting God that brought those fiery serpents upon them. Their unbelief caused this tragedy, God couldn't help until they changed their hearts.

:8 And the Lord said unto Moses,
        Make thee a fiery serpent,
            and set it upon a pole:
        and it shall come to pass,
            that every one that is bitten,
            when he looketh upon it, shall live.
:9 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.

    Anybody that was bitten by a serpent could look upon the serpent of brass and be healed. That was the Word of God, why did God tell them a serpent of brass? I do not know. Is there any power in brass? No. But the revelation was, make a serpent of brass and anybody that looks on it will live. Maybe God knew it would help the people believe. That was the promise of God. The serpent of brass was just the serpent of brass, there is no power in it, in and of itself. If we were to make a serpent of brass and hold it up now without revelation from God to do so. It wouldn't do anyone any good. The medical profession has the symbol of a serpent, this is where it comes from, just having that icon on their stationary and their walls doesn't make anyone get better, it is just a symbol. The key here in Numbers was the promise of God and people believing it.

    What are some of the promises that we have been given? What can we believe? What is our promised land?

Colossians 2
:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord,
    so walk ye in him:
:7 Rooted and built up in him,
    and stablished in the faith,
        as ye have been taught,
    abounding therein with thanksgiving.
:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit,
        after the tradition of men,
        after the rudiments of the world,
        and not after Christ.
:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
:10 And ye are complete in him,
        which is the head of all principality and power:
:11 In whom also ye are circumcised
    with the circumcision made without hands,
    in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
:12 Buried with him in baptism,
    wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God,
        who hath raised him from the dead.
:13 And you, being dead in your sins
        and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
    hath he quickened together with him,
    having forgiven you all trespasses;
:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us,
        which was contrary to us,
    and took it out of the way,
    nailing it to his cross;
:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers,
    he made a shew of them openly,
    triumphing over them in it.

    God has delivered us from the law that Moses delivered to the Children of Israel by way of Jesus Christ, he was our passover lamb, he is our redeemer. He made available a live that is more abundant in which we can walk in him. Christ spoiled the principalities and powers that were hidden in the Old Testament (see the Idiom of Permission). We now have Christ in us the hope of Glory (Colossians 1:27) where before we had none, we were incomplete.

    Oh Lord God what can we do?

Colossians 3
:1 If ye then be risen with Christ,
    seek those things which are above,
    where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
:2 Set your affection on things above,
    not on things on the earth.
:3 For ye are dead,
    and your life is hid with Christ in God.
:4 When Christ,
        who is our life,
    shall appear,
    then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

    Dear God we will seek you and we will be waiting.

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