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. Numbers 21:8
We have all heard the scoffers and deniers say ‘If God is so good, why does He allow bad things to happen?’ It is a flawed objection that millions around us use to try to justify their rejection of God and His gospel. Because God does not conform to their idea of what God should be like, they say that God is dead, or that He doesn’t exist, or is irrelevant to their lives. Do they really think that God is somehow obligated to dance to their little tune? Take today’s text, for example, where we see God answering the prayer of the Israelites in a very different way from what they asked or expected.
The problem with the fiery snakes started when the Israelites lost all perspective about God. He had delivered them from slavery, displayed great miracles in preserving them from their enemies, providing them with food and water and shelter, and promising them a rich inheritance in a land flowing with milk and honey. They responded with thanklessness, selfishness, and foolishness. The deadly fiery snakes came; what did they expect? Realizing their great mistake, the Israelites cried out for Moses to ask God to get rid of those awful snakes. God did not do so. He had a better plan, a plan that still works today.
God’s plan was so wonderful that the Lord Jesus used it when explaining to Nicodemus how sinners can be born again. The fiery snakes were still in the camp of the Israelites, just as the deadly and destructive tide of sin continues march through humanity today. The presence of the snakes was what the rebellious Israelites deserved, just as death has been passed upon all mankind because of of us have sinned. But as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up. God’s response to the Israelites was to offer them deliverance through a simple act of faith. And to sinners today, He does the same. But those who complain about God allowing bad things to happen can’t understand that, because they refuse to look by faith to the Saviour.
What is our perspective of God today? Do we have our own little tune of expectation that we want Him to dance to? Or do we look to Him in simple trusting faith, knowing that His way is always the best for us? – Jim MacIntosh