The Pole
“ Better of Bitter? Grace makes it all Better.” Numbers 21:4-9; Ephesians 2:1-10; Jn 3:14-21
Impatience , murmuring, discouragement, complaining are the setting of the Scripture today from Numbers. The people forgot their deliverance. “ And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites and their cities” 21:3 What are you and I discouraged about? We could make a list but you already know what is causing you to doubt the faith and the actions of God. Have you ever heard of the expression “hurry up and wait?” I remember how we were all directed by the company commander to get our vehicles in line. This was early in morning . I was taking my time because it was dark and there did not seem to be any rush to me at least. Then I got yelled at by the Commander. So I got my vehicle in line post haste ; then we sat there for two hours.” Hurry up and wait!”
It is a fine line between stress of life, impatience and doubt to lack of faith and spiritual death. At least that is what happened back in the Book of Numbers , and it seems to have a parallel today because ST John picked up on it. Fiery serpents were sent among the people due to all the complaining. “ And the people spoke against God , and against Moses, Wherefore have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loathes this light bread.” 21:5 The people died at least a lot of them did. “ Pray unto the LORD , that he take away the serpents from us.” 21:7 At least the people knew what to do then! Being a good leader Moses “ prayed for the people.”
So can impatience, discouragement, doubting the purposes of God and His plan make us lose our spiritual lives? It seems this happened to some of the people. But perhaps they were just along for the ride. For as ST Paul so aptly reminds us, “ For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision , which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” Romans 2:28-29 ( Of course as we have repeatedly said the NT correlation is baptism & church membership which do not make us Christians either necessarily---our hearts must be changed before we can inherit the kingdom of God) These difficulties in life make some to withdraw, doubt God’s way and become bitter. Seeing the rainbow after the storm is not in their vision. They can’t wait. It takes too long they say. God had better get it done now and my way or the highway!
It is appropriate to remember the life of ST Patrick this weekend and his story is much the story of any Christian. “ Once I was blind, but now I see” as John Newton said. Patrick as a young man had a good foundation but he went the wrong way. “Patrick was born about 390, in southwest Britain, somewhere between the Severn and the Clyde rivers, son of a deacon and grandson of a priest. When about sixteen years old, he was kidnapped by Irish pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. Until this time, he had, by his own account, cared nothing for God, but now he turned to God for help. After six years, he either escaped or was freed, made his way to a port 200 miles away, and there persuaded some sailors to take him onto their ship. He returned to his family much changed, and began to prepare for the priesthood, and to study the Bible.( Source-www Lectionary page, ECUSA readings for 17 March) “ The rest of the story is legend , that is epic.
So there is a rather major NT parallel to today’s OT reading. Before we get there remember what got the people in much misery and trouble. They were just traveling along the spiritual road masking their true beliefs . The difficulties brought them out. We too would be well to take heed to this lesson. One NT comment on this outside of our Gospel is I Corinthians 10:9-12 ,” Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they were written for our admonition…wherefore let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”
John picks up all of this today when he quotes from Numbers the whole story. “ …as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” 3:14-15 It would be good to remember what happened in Numbers to see the whole picture. After the people were bitten by fiery serpents and Moses prayed for them God directs Moses to make a pole and on it put a serpent of brass. What did the people have to do? “ And it shall come to pass that every one that is bitten when he looks upon it he shall live.” 21:8 Looks upon what? Their problems? Their family? Their surroundings? No not at all. God takes the very thing that He had sent , i.e. fiery serpents to be a sign of their deliverance and when the sun shone on the brass it looked just like a fiery serpent. What is application? At the very point of our discouragement and despair God asks us to look to Him and accept it. Now that hurts. We would rather have Him take us out of the problem. But no, He gives us faith in the middle of it and in the storms of life.
We must look to the Son to have eternal life. We must not look to a solution to the despair we feel or the problems we cannot conquer or anything else outside of what God provides in our salvation. This is what we call the evangelical solution in theological terms. In plain language it is an action on our part. “ For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosover believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” 3:16 God has provided the solution to life’s difficulties and feelings of being alone. This is trust in the Son. That is what makes us whole.
ST Patrick had it right when he wrote those words to his famous hymn: “ I bind unto myself today” “ I bind this day to me forever, by power of faith, Christ’s incarnation….I bind unto myself today
the virtues of the starlit heaven,
the glorious sun's life-giving ray,
the whiteness of the moon at even,
the flashing of the lightning free,
the whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
the stable earth, the deep salt sea,
around the old eternal rocks.
I bind unto myself today
the power of God to hold and lead,
his eye to watch, his might to stay,
his ear to hearken to my need;
the wisdom of my God to teach,
his hand to guide, his shield to ward;
the word of God to give me speech,
his heavenly host to be my guard.”
Better or bitter? That is our decision. Better is better. Bitter is what we deserve . Choose better. Choose Jesus.
Impatience , murmuring, discouragement, complaining are the setting of the Scripture today from Numbers. The people forgot their deliverance. “ And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites and their cities” 21:3 What are you and I discouraged about? We could make a list but you already know what is causing you to doubt the faith and the actions of God. Have you ever heard of the expression “hurry up and wait?” I remember how we were all directed by the company commander to get our vehicles in line. This was early in morning . I was taking my time because it was dark and there did not seem to be any rush to me at least. Then I got yelled at by the Commander. So I got my vehicle in line post haste ; then we sat there for two hours.” Hurry up and wait!”
It is a fine line between stress of life, impatience and doubt to lack of faith and spiritual death. At least that is what happened back in the Book of Numbers , and it seems to have a parallel today because ST John picked up on it. Fiery serpents were sent among the people due to all the complaining. “ And the people spoke against God , and against Moses, Wherefore have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loathes this light bread.” 21:5 The people died at least a lot of them did. “ Pray unto the LORD , that he take away the serpents from us.” 21:7 At least the people knew what to do then! Being a good leader Moses “ prayed for the people.”
So can impatience, discouragement, doubting the purposes of God and His plan make us lose our spiritual lives? It seems this happened to some of the people. But perhaps they were just along for the ride. For as ST Paul so aptly reminds us, “ For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision , which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” Romans 2:28-29 ( Of course as we have repeatedly said the NT correlation is baptism & church membership which do not make us Christians either necessarily---our hearts must be changed before we can inherit the kingdom of God) These difficulties in life make some to withdraw, doubt God’s way and become bitter. Seeing the rainbow after the storm is not in their vision. They can’t wait. It takes too long they say. God had better get it done now and my way or the highway!
It is appropriate to remember the life of ST Patrick this weekend and his story is much the story of any Christian. “ Once I was blind, but now I see” as John Newton said. Patrick as a young man had a good foundation but he went the wrong way. “Patrick was born about 390, in southwest Britain, somewhere between the Severn and the Clyde rivers, son of a deacon and grandson of a priest. When about sixteen years old, he was kidnapped by Irish pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. Until this time, he had, by his own account, cared nothing for God, but now he turned to God for help. After six years, he either escaped or was freed, made his way to a port 200 miles away, and there persuaded some sailors to take him onto their ship. He returned to his family much changed, and began to prepare for the priesthood, and to study the Bible.( Source-www Lectionary page, ECUSA readings for 17 March) “ The rest of the story is legend , that is epic.
So there is a rather major NT parallel to today’s OT reading. Before we get there remember what got the people in much misery and trouble. They were just traveling along the spiritual road masking their true beliefs . The difficulties brought them out. We too would be well to take heed to this lesson. One NT comment on this outside of our Gospel is I Corinthians 10:9-12 ,” Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they were written for our admonition…wherefore let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”
John picks up all of this today when he quotes from Numbers the whole story. “ …as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” 3:14-15 It would be good to remember what happened in Numbers to see the whole picture. After the people were bitten by fiery serpents and Moses prayed for them God directs Moses to make a pole and on it put a serpent of brass. What did the people have to do? “ And it shall come to pass that every one that is bitten when he looks upon it he shall live.” 21:8 Looks upon what? Their problems? Their family? Their surroundings? No not at all. God takes the very thing that He had sent , i.e. fiery serpents to be a sign of their deliverance and when the sun shone on the brass it looked just like a fiery serpent. What is application? At the very point of our discouragement and despair God asks us to look to Him and accept it. Now that hurts. We would rather have Him take us out of the problem. But no, He gives us faith in the middle of it and in the storms of life.
We must look to the Son to have eternal life. We must not look to a solution to the despair we feel or the problems we cannot conquer or anything else outside of what God provides in our salvation. This is what we call the evangelical solution in theological terms. In plain language it is an action on our part. “ For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosover believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” 3:16 God has provided the solution to life’s difficulties and feelings of being alone. This is trust in the Son. That is what makes us whole.
ST Patrick had it right when he wrote those words to his famous hymn: “ I bind unto myself today” “ I bind this day to me forever, by power of faith, Christ’s incarnation….I bind unto myself today
the virtues of the starlit heaven,
the glorious sun's life-giving ray,
the whiteness of the moon at even,
the flashing of the lightning free,
the whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
the stable earth, the deep salt sea,
around the old eternal rocks.
I bind unto myself today
the power of God to hold and lead,
his eye to watch, his might to stay,
his ear to hearken to my need;
the wisdom of my God to teach,
his hand to guide, his shield to ward;
the word of God to give me speech,
his heavenly host to be my guard.”
Better or bitter? That is our decision. Better is better. Bitter is what we deserve . Choose better. Choose Jesus.
I liked this sermon very much, David+. Thank you for posting it.
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