Numbers 21-22 – March 4 – Thursday

In chapter 21, the people complain, the people are punished, the people are sorry, and God provides salvation. This time, salvation comes in the form of a bronze serpent made by Moses for all to look at to be healed from the snake bites.

 As we will later read in 2 Kings 18, the Israelites keep this bronze serpent for 700 years and turn it into a god and begin burning incense to it. King Hezekiah comes along and destroys it, finally.

Something for which God gave as a blessing, turned into a false god religion in complete opposition of the true God. Worship of the Creator was turned into the worship of the created.

 Our traditions, our religious artifacts, our sacred things, our precious processes, should never require more focus and effort than our relationship with God.

 Paul wrote about this in Romans 1. Regarding the “men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness…”, Paul says “24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

 Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

 Luke 4:8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”