“Sinful Census”

• Numbers 21 begins with the statement, “When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim (ath ah rim), then he fought against Israel and took some of them captive” (21:1).

• So they essentially made a vow to the Lord, “Help us win and we will follow You fully in completely destroying Your enemy and now our enemy”.

• Thus Israel was successful, and experienced the sweet taste of victory (21:3).

“Sinful Census”

I. The Let Down• “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” (Numbers 21:4).

• “They had been so very near the land... But now they were wandering again, and in their wanderings they seemed to be as far away from ‘real’ food as ever” (The Expositor’s Bible, Ronald B. Allen, p. 874).

• At such a moment it is tempting to do exactly what Israel did – tire, complain, and start passing around blame.

“Sinful Census”

II. The Old Worn Out Complaint• “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” (Numbers 21:5).

• Observe how Satan is so successful in getting even God’s people to attack the good guys (God and Moses) and idolize the bad guys (life in Egypt).

• The next generation was making the same complaints that they heard from their parents – let us make sure that we are not passing on any accusations against God, His blessings or His godly leaders (1 Thessalonians 5:11-13).

“Sinful Census”

III. Another Step• “We loathe this miserable food” (21:5). • “The Lord Jesus speaks of the manna as a type of

Himself, that He is the true Bread from heaven (John 6:32-35; 48-51,58). A rejection of the heavenly manna is tantamount to one spurning the grace of God in the Savior” (Allen, p. 876).

“Sinful Census”

• Applications– In our generation we must speak up when

people are trying to rewrite the past.– Let us defend God’s blessings and especially

those found within His church.–Beware of murmuring, for “There is a pattern to

complaining; it is habit forming. The tendency among people is to go beyond where one left off the last time, to become ever more egregious, ever more outspoken. Rarely does a complaining person become milder in his complaints” (Allen, p. 876).

“Sinful Census”

IV. Something Else from Heaven• “And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the

people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died” (21:6).

• God is not at a loss for new judgments. This time it was snakes, fiery snakes, many snakes – whose bites were painful and deadly.

• As the Israelites spewed out the poison of murmuring and blasphemy, God sends poisonous snakes among them.

• Use your words to express gratitude and praise for all the good in your life.

“Sinful Census”

V. Getting Your Fill• “We have sinned, because we have spoken against

the Lord and you; intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us” (Number 21:7).

• Like the Israelites, when we are punished the first thing we want is for the punishment to be removed, and yet often it is not instantly removed.

• The snakes were not removed, rather a cure was offered after one had been bit (21:8).

“Sinful Census”

VI. The Cure• People are being bit, people are dying, and yet

Moses is expected to take the time to see to it that his serpent is fashioned.

• “Sometimes even in a crisis one needs to move purposefully” (Allen, p. 877).

• “The people had called the bread of heaven detestable. Moses is now commanded by God to make an image of something truly detestable and to hold that high on a pole as their only means of deliverance” (p. 877).

“Sinful Census”

John 3:14• “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the

wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up”.

• Jesus endorses the historical accuracy of this particular chapter and event, just as He likewise endorses the historical reality of the flood (Matthew 24:37); the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Matthew 11:24), Jonah and the great fish (Matthew 12:40), and Adam and Eve (Matthew 19:5-8).

“Sinful Census”

• In both instances, the serpent was the only cure for Israel, and Jesus was the only cure for our sins. There is only one cure offered. Man could not provide his own remedy.

• Faith was necessary, and faith had to do something, even if it was nothing more than “looking”. [Hebrews 11:1,6]

• The cure was accessible to all; God did not require the impossible.

• One has to be very stubborn or very foolish to reject the cure.

• The cure is understandable, and the language is clear.

“Sinful Census”

Conclusion• It All Comes Back to Christ!• Both the manna represented Christ, and the

serpent represented Christ. • One cannot get away from one picture of

Christ after another. • This is the world He made (John 1:3;

Colossians 1:16), and it was not only made by Him, it was made for Him.

• We were made to know Him, love Him, praise Him, and serve Him.

“Sinful Census”

• Hebrews 12:1,2, the Bible says that, • 1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so

great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us,

and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and

finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the

shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.