11/15/11 Look Up In Faith And Live
11/15/11 LOOK UP IN FAITH AND LIVE
Numbers 21:1-35
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Key Verse: 21:9 Kevin Jesmer niu ubf
“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, they lived.”
Dear Lord heavenly Father, thank you for your wonderful grace in saving us from our sins and giving us the joy of salvation. Thank you for giving my life a new dimension apart from work, eat sleep and exercise. I have Jesus and I have spiritual life. Thank you for the discipleship training through Msn Mark Yang. I pray that I may learn of Jesus’ discipleship from Marks Gospel. Please revive my soul and Julie’s soul and help us to reach out to others and introduce them to Jesus. I repent of thinking that people will not respond to the Gospel message. Please help me to live in hope. Grant your wonderful word into my heart. I thank you and I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!
1. The first battle with the Canaanites (1-3).
Verses 1-3 read, “When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them. 2 Then Israel made this vow to the LORD: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy[a] their cities.” 3 The LORD listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites over to them. They completely destroyed them and their towns; so the place was named Hormah.”
The king of Arad provoked a battle by attacking the Israelites. The Israelites prayed, made a vow, and asked God for victory. The Lord heard them and gave them victory.
I learned that we are faced many enemies in life. There are temptations and sins that grip us. There are challenges in our lives that threaten the soul with loss. I have enemies. I am gripped with fatalism thinking that no one will respond to the Gospel message. I think that if anyone does respond a little bit then it will take 8 years before they even offer to clean up even one time or offer $1. I may be right for the majority of the people. But there are still those out there who will respond. I must hold onto faith. There is also a battle to help my kids to know and love Jesus and be set free from the power of sin so that they may live fruitful and productive lives. This is a battle. I ask the Lord’s help and when he comes through I must be fully devoted to him.
2. The bronze snake (4-9).
Verses 4-9 read, “ 4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea,[c] to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they 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!” 6 Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 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.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 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, they lived.”
Verses The Edomites had refused them passage through their land, so they turned south to go around Edom. This was frustrating; the people became impatient, they complained about the food, and they blamed Moses. God doesn’t like complainers, so he disciplined them with deadly snakes. They repented, and God provided a way of forgiveness and healing. Anyone who believed God’s promise and looked up at Moses’ bronze snake would live (cf. Jn 3:14-15).
I learned from this bronze snake the essence of faith. We need to take the way of faith. We need to find God’s way and sometimes that way does not seem right to us, humanly. Does a crucified, suffering, dying savior make any sense. How is such a suffering savior going to bring us salvation? But he does. We need to look to Jesus on the cross and be saved from our sins. I need to always look to God’s way of salvation and not to human solutions. recently I was in the depths of despair and depression. I wondered if I needed to see a doctor and take a pill. But God gave me a spiritual solution. I needed to hold onto the deep grace of Jesus and meditate on God’s holiness and my sinfulness and hold onto the Gospel that bridges that gap. This is the solution that saved me. It was God’s solution, through to the people of the world it made no sense.
3. The defeat of the Amorites (10-35).
They traveled along the eastern border of Moab, and God gave them water. When they were denied passage through Amorite territory, they fought Sihon and Og and took the land on the east side of the Jordan. This began the conquest of Canaan.
When the people had faith they had victory. They had faith and fought. I need to have faith and fight. That means to have faith in God’s deliverance and do something practical. I need to go fishing and study and pray and establish deep relationship with my kids. Then God will grant me victory upon victory. He already is doing this. Praise the Lord.
Prayer: Lord, teach me to claim your victory by faith.
One Word: Faith is the victory
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