“Space-travel really has nothing to do with the matter. To some, God is discoverable everywhere; to others, nowhere. Those who do not find Him on earth are unlikely to find Him in space. But send a saint up in a spaceship and he’ll find God in space as he found God on earth. Much depends on the seeing eye.” (C.S. Lewis, The Seeing Eye)
“The question is not what you look at but what you see.” (Henry David Thoreau, Walden)
“Wilderness is the training place to wean the world’s ways out God’s people through learning the life of faith in the Word of God to adopt the ways of God” (Pastor Brent’s summary of Deut. 8)
4 sights to look at with understanding to gain the victory over the critical soul
I. God's Work Through the Trials – Revealing the Nature of Your Heart
II. The Characteristics of a Critical Poisoned Heart
A. Consumes the whole of the person – “The soul of the people”
Deuteronomy 6:5 - You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart (innerman) and with all your soul (inner and outer) and with all your might (the resources at your disposal or what you “do stuff” with, i.e. your “strength/might”).
B. Results in a “short/shallow soul” – impatience
C. Looks (without ‘seeing’) at God’s day-to-day provision as “empty/worthless”
III. God’s Gracious Demonstration to Show That We Are Infected with Venomous Poison
IV. God’s Provision for the Poisoned Heart – "Behold My Victory Over Death”
Exodus 17:9-15 - So Moses said to Joshua, “…Go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” …So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands were heavy… and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword…Moses built an altar and named it The Lord is My Banner.
A. God’s Provision – the instrument of death – even the bite of the serpent taken by God, Himself – is turned into God’s victory
John 3:14-16 - As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (cf. John 8:28; 12:32)
B. Man’s Response - “Look” to see (understand) and be healed from the poisonous spirit - not do!
Yuri Gagarin, a Russian cosmonaut was the first human to go into outer space on April 12, 1961.
A quote was attributed to him, “I looked and looked for God but I did not see him.”
There is debate as to whether or not he actually said it, or the quote was a fabrication of the USSR propaganda machine.
Nevertheless, C.S. Lewis comments on the matter of the new space race among the nations and the claim of seeing or not seeing God in space.
Space-travel really has nothing to do with the matter. To some, God is discoverable everywhere; to others, nowhere. Those who do not find Him on earth are unlikely to find Him in space. But send a saint up in a spaceship and he’ll find God in space as he found God on earth. Much depends on the seeing eye. —C.S. Lewis, The Seeing Eye.
Henry David Thoreau said,
The question is not what you look at but what you see.— Henry David Thoreau, Walden
Cosmonaut Gagarin (or Dictator Khrushchev) looked into outer space and did not see God.
Adam and Eve, looked at the fruit of the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil and thought they saw a path to wisdom, but in the end they did not see correctly—they were deceived—and were abandoning their source of wisdom—God.
Today, in our text, there is one emphasis to overcome the critical heart—simply look—but we must look with eyes to see the significance of what we are looking at.
Turn with me to Numbers chapter 21 verses 4–9.
That is on page 117 in the front section, the OT, of the bible in the chair in front of you.
This year, we have been discussing the topic of Growing in Gospel Gratitude
And this summer we are discussing Handling Criticism.
Pastor Viars has reminded us that we chose this particular series…
- not because there is some underlying problem in our church family.
- And not because the leaders of faith church want to put down constructive criticism.
On this latter point, constructive criticism is what we have been inviting through our strategic ministry planning process throughout the first half of this year.
We chose this series, because all of us tend to be critical souls and all of us, tend to become reactive when a critical soul criticizes us.
So we need to understand how to handle the critical spirit when my own soul is corrupt and how to respond when I encounter a critical spirit in others.
Now, several of our messages have come from the OT book of Numbers
If you are new to the bible’s redemptive story that God is working out, let me kind of set the context of what we are studying today.
I mentioned this when I spoke to you previously.
The book of Numbers contains a lengthy section of God’s people rebelling against Him while they are in the desert.
Why are they in the desert?
Well, God had allowed His people to be in Egypt for 400 years until they became numerous enough to form a nation.
Then He brought them out of Egypt miraculously and was going to give them what is now known as the promised land.
There in the promised land, as a nation, He wanted them to be a kingdom of His representatives—displaying to a broken world the glories of their rescuing and redeeming God.
But before God was to give His people the land of promise, there was still much His people had to learn about being God’s people.
During God’s people’s time in Egypt, the lived in the prominent Empire of the day—Egypt—The Kingdom of mankind.
The were immersed in the values of the kingdoms of men.
A critical sprit is part and parcel of the kingdoms of men. Just look around in our world.
However, God wanted a nation, a people, who were different.
- A people who would trust him when they looked out and saw that the journey may be difficult.
- A thankful people
- A people who would not look toward immediate gratification at the expense of others but look toward loving people now and let God take care of the needs.
- A people who would not be enamored by the kingdoms of man but the eternal values of the kingdom of God.
- Where is the best place for training for that? —the desert!
When God takes us into the wilderness or the desert…that actually is a good thing…He is there….training His people
Wilderness is the training place to wean the world’s ways out God’s people through learning the life of faith in the Word of God to adopt the ways of God (Pastor Brent’s summary of Deut. 8)
In our study today, we are approaching the very end of God’s people’s time in the wilderness.
They have been in the wilderness now 40 years.
And guess what we still find them still struggling with— a consuming critical spirit
But, God gives a very clear and simple way to overcome the critical spirit.
With that context of the book of Numbers in mind today we are studying…
Handling Criticism—Victory for the Critical Heart
We have only six verses to read today.
Read with me in Numbers chapter 21 starting in verse 4.
4 Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom;
They set out….its’s time for them to get moving after 40 years!
A new generation of young people have arisen
Let’s see what these additional geographical details show us about where the route they were taking
Take a look at their route.
[Place this picture in PPT Then make an oval encircling the promised land. It is okay that the oval will be clipped by the top of the PPT. The oval should come in with the pic Place the blue arrow in PPT as show to come in on a separate click]
The blue oval is the land God’s promised them.
Notice the red path described in our text.
The blue arrow shows the short distance they were from the southern edge of the promised land.
What is going on with that?
When they received the marching order you can imagine them saying, “I can see the promised land from my tent! Why are you taking us that way? You are going to make a 1 day journey into 11 months? Really?!
God had a different plan…he was taking them a different route to deal with enemies on the east side of the promised land, and then have them come right into the middle to divide and conquer.
The bottom line is that God had a good plan for them, and all they could see is the immediate inconvenience.
(finish verse 4) and the people became impatient because of the journey
The English has really smoothed out several Hebrew phrases here.
First, take note when the text says “the people,” the Hebrew gives a bit more robust description—“The soul of the people” —I will come back to that a bit later.
Also, the Hebrew is kind of humorous—the word for impatient is really “short.” So, the soul of the people was short because of the way (i.e. the long way)). (i.e. impatient) 😊
Now, I have a question for you: In every one of the grumblings and the complaints and the critical souls that we have seen in the book of Numbers—every one of them—they always want to go back where? –To Egypt….
Always going back there—to slavery, the kingdom of man,—they are not looking and seeing this rightly….
Remember they were slaves there!
So…what do you anticipate they are going to refer to now?…..Egypt!!
5 The people spoke against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?
The path back to Egypt was always on the forefront of their minds
Think through what that represented thought—the pathway back to slavery, captivity, the corrupt kingdoms of men—that’s what our hearts long for.
(rest of verse 5) For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.”
The miserable food is the mana that the Lord had sustained them on.
6 The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.
Fiery serpents…wow….
Let’s talk about that for a moment
There is debate about if the term “fiery” means reddish bronze serpents or the fiery poison that burns and inflames the victim.
Because of the mention of dying, we are going with the fiery burning poison of the serpent.
Also, “serpent,” is the same term used in Genesis 3 for the deceptive snake behind which was the energizing power of Satan.
And “serpent” is the same term used in Exodus when Pharoah’s and Moses’s rods become serpents and Moses’ rod swallows Pharoah’s serpent.
There are connections here between all these items
BUT Why has God sent these fiery serpents as consequences….?
We will answer that precisely in due time but for now, … I want us to learn something about Bible Study particularly in the OT
When we see something weird that I don’t understand—particularly in the OT narratives of Scripture— I should always 1. assume something and 2. ask something
Assumption:
- I lack understanding either about the Hebrew language, or Hebrew literary style of writing, or the Ancient culture informing this text.
If I knew those things, I would understand what is going on.
Secondly, ask
- What is going on in this text in the Hebrew language or a cultural background that I should understand to make sense of this text.
Then do your research.
Whenever I encounter something weird, this is what I do.
I can illustrate this with various examples throughout the OT.
But for now let’s park on our passage today.
Why serpents?!!!
Take a look at this picture of the Egyptian Pharoah’s headdress.
[Place the pic in the PPT}
The Uraeus (you ray-us) or the “rearing cobra” was a symbol of supremacy, royalty, kingly power of the Egyptian Pharaohs, and that the royal Pharaoh was protected by the serpent god.)
Snakes, serpents, played a significant role in the Egyptian culture
In the story of the Exodus, do you remember what Pharoah’s magicians turn their rods into —serpents,— but then what does Moses’ rod do? Swallows them….
Who is sovereign over whom?
(verse)7 So the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us.” And Moses interceded for the people.
Notice I believe this is the first time in numbers where they do three things, “ confess that we have sinned,” “acknowledged specifically their wrong doing (spoken against the Lord and Moses)” and “sought for intercession”
Now verse 8 is fascinatingly weird…..also
8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard(Pole); and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.”
So when I see something weird…what should I do
Assume and Ask
Assumption:
- I lack understanding either about the language, the way this was written, or the culture informing this text.
Secondly, ask
- What is going on in this text in the Hebrew language or a cultural background that I should understand to make sense of this text.
Again, let me lead you down a cultural path to help begin unpacking this text.
From where have we already said, God’s people had come?—Egypt
There was a common practice in Egypt regarding their temples and gods.
Here is the famous Egyptian temple at Luxor
Notice those recesses in the temple wall.
[Put this pic in PPT and make the PPT arrows come in on a second click]
Those recess used to hold flag poles.
Take a look at this artist rendering of the Egyptian temples
[Place this pic in the PP]
On the banner of the flag pole was written a particular god’s name.
The flag pole with the god’s name represent victory in the name of that god.
Thus the flag symbol in Egyptian Hieroglyphics also became the symbol for Egyptian deities or gods.
9 And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard (pole); and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man (if a man was inflamed by the poison of the snake), when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.
By the way, do you know what our healing medical symbol is today throughout the world? A pole with a serpent around it.
[Place in PPT]
There is debate as to the origins of this—whether it is tied to Greek Mythology or if it’s origins preceded Greek Mythology (like the time of Moses).
In this unusual story, today we are discussing
Handling Criticism—Victory for the Critical Heart
Four sights to look at with understanding to gain the victory over the critical soul.
The first sight to look at is ..
I. God Works through the trials—Revealing the Nature of Your Heart
When God’s people did not get what they wanted—an easy way directly to the promised land— they had to go around Edom, they complained.
Again,
Wilderness is the training place to wean the world’s ways out God’s people through learning the life of faith in the Word of God to adopt the ways of God (Pastor Brent’s summary of Deut. 8)
This new generation after 40 years had the same kinds of hearts as the old generation.
Guess what?!! The next generation will also have the same kind of heart.
And the next….and so on…until we reach you and me…
A critical soul is with what the lot of humanity struggles
Look at the nature of your heart when you are in the desert or the wilderness..
If you do not recognize the problem, there can never be victory over the problem.
In the midst of politics, in the midst of inflation, in the midst of _______ what does your soul reveal?
Again, there can not be victory over the problem unless you recognize that God brings you into the wilderness to show you the issue.
We can thank the Lord for that…so are you using the trial to look at with understanding the nature of your heart…..?
The second sight to look at is ..
II. The characteristics of a critical poisoned heart
I have introduced here a descriptive word here — “poisoned” —because of the imagery of our text that contains the fiery, inflaming, necrotizing serpent venom.
Recognize the critical, poisoned heart…
Consumes the whole of the person—“The soul of the people.”
We tend to think of the term “soul” as the immaterial part of man equivalent to the spirit of a mankind
However, the concept of “soul” tends to refer to the human as an entirety.
For example, when Deut 6:5 says,
Deut 6:5 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart (inner man) and with all your soul (inner and outer) and with all your might (the resources at your disposal or what you “do stuff” with, i.e. your “strength/might”).
Heart is the immaterial part of you.
Soul is the entirety of you—your immaterial and your material
Might is all that is at your disposal—your physical strength, your intellectual capacities, your resources,
Thus you are to love God with all.
Our text here says , “the soul of the people” became impatience,
The poison of the critical heart consumed all of their being.
[application here]
And… SEE THAT The critical poisoned heart…
Results in a “short/shallow soul”—impatience
A short/shallow soul that is quick to complain
A short shallow soul that at the slightest disturbance in its comfort rushes to voice its displeasure
Sounds like our world today, doesn’t it?
Is it us as well?
A short soul that is quick to be critical.
I have a question for you…is there anything in this world that is better because it is quick?
- How about instant oatmeal?
- How about microwaved anything?
- How about fast food?
- How about the one night stand?
- How about the quick relational fling?
- How about Adam and Eve opting for the quick route to being wise?
God intended us to have crockpot souls that have layers of depth and flavor profiles that will be solid sustenance for others.
- Long suffering
- Slow to anger
- Bearing up and persevering.
Here is something that is more beautiful because it is quick….God mercy that rushes into our world when we have short souls.
Thank the Lord for mercy that rushes into our fill our short souls.
And… understand that the critical poisoned heart…
Looks (without ‘seeing’) at God’s day to day provision as “empty/worthless”
God’s provision for His children in the bread from heaven was not enough.
Here is our connection with gratefulness.
A lack of thanksgiving for the daily provision.
Folks, the USA seems to be the wealthiest country in the world.
Look around and SEE GOD PROVISION EVERYWHERE.
The fact that we look and still are critical means that we call God’s provision worthless, empty.
And God in his love wants us to look deeper at this….
The third sight that God wants us to look at is
III. God’s Gracious Demonstration to Show That We Are Infected with Venomous Poison
Why serpents here?
Think with me!
- From where have God’s people come? They have come out of Egypt and want to go back there to the Kingdom of Men
- Pharoah’s headdress has a serpent on it!
- Their soul is consumed with a critical spirit.
- Back in Egypt is slavery, captivity, death, destruction, the ways of the kingdom of men…may I say the ways of the serpent
God sends the fiery serpent to illustrate in their bodies what is true in their hearts.
You get bit by the serpent, and the venomous poison spreads and leads to death.
And that is what you want to go back to spiritually?!
So, God says look here at the earthly serpent and what it does…that is what the poison of sin from Satan, the serpent, does to your soul!
That is what Egypt represents.
That is what the serpent represents!
God actually gives the people what they want, and for those who have eyes to see…look here….
This is a gracious act of God to show us where the kingdoms of men and its value systems leads…..
The fourth and glorious sight that God wants us to look at to gain victory over the critical spirit is
IV. God’s Provision for the Poisoned Heart—"Behold My Victory over Death”
I mentioned when I was explaining the text that flag poles on the Egyptian Temples represented victory in the name of their gods with the names of their gods on the banners?
Those poles in Egyptian hieroglyphs actually became the symbol for their deities
[Here it is again]
So, what is the significance when God commands Moses to make a serpent and put it on a pole?
Let me give you a couple.
The first one we can be sure of and the second one may be a bit tentative but certain consistent with the story of Scripture up to this point
First, with the pervasive serpent imagery in the culture of Egypt, and God commanding Moses to get the serpent on my victory pole, I think we can safely say this.
God, has secured victory over Egypt and all that it represents—the kingdoms of man and Satan, the value system of the world—God has gained victory over that….Look at God’s victory pole and not back at Egypt…
But there is more..
In our story in Numbers 20 and the serpent being raised on a pole is actually not the first allusion to some kind of flagpole
Forty years earlier, right after God’s people came miraculously through the Red Sea a group of men (the Amalekites) attacked God’s people.
Here is a quick look at the story….
Exodus 17:9 So Moses said to Joshua, “…Go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” …11 So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands were heavy … and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. 13 So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword…15 Moses built an altar and named it The Lord is My Banner.
A banner is that which typically would be on a flag pole
Unlike on the Egyptian temples, there was no flag for God, just a flag pole (or Moses’ rod ) pointing to heaven.
The rod, uplifted, pointing to heaven was the sign of victory in God’s name
In the first flag pole story, what Moses did do was not make banner but he build an alter for sacrifice and that altar was called, “the Lord is my banner”
Yahweh is my victory.
Now, import all of that to our Numbers story….
There still is no flag with God’s name on it….
There is a pole…
The pole is Yahweh’s victory pole
What is on that pole—the serpent ?
Somehow, someway, the death dealing, poisonous serpent that inflames one soul would be placed on God’s victory pole.
And remember the pole even in Egyptian hieroglyphs represented their deity.
Somehow, someway, the path toward victory must go through death, but it is on Yahweh’s victory pole….
As if the serpent would bite Yahweh…..Himself..dealing God a death blow…
And we know where this leads 1400 years later…
A. God’s Provision—the instrument of death—even the bite of the serpent taken by God, Himself—is turned into God’s victory.
John 3:14 “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. 16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (cf. John 8:28; 12:32)
And just as God’s people had to take the long way to the promised land, they would have to wait until they could look and see how Yahweh’s death would be exalted on a victory pole….
Today we have seen this….God Himself would take the serpents bite, but through that death bite, God turn the death into victory over the poisonous critical serpent.
You will notice that the only requirement to be healed is to LOOK
B. Man’s Response— “Look” to see (understand) and be healed from the poisonous spirit—not do!
with understanding of,
—you are infected with the poison of the serpent
—it permeates our being and comes out of us in the critical spirit.
—Do we recognize the consuming nature of the poisonous critical spirit
—Do we recognize that renders us a short-souled, shallow people
--Always longing to go back to Egypt back into slavery thinking that Kingdoms of Man are better than God?
With that understanding and realization, that I am infected and poisoned unto death…LOOK….with understanding
Look
To the one whose soul was cut short so that your soul soul be long
Look
To the one who was devoured by the serpents poison so that you could be healed
Look
To the one who came down to dwell in the Egypt so that you could dwell in the Kingdom of God
Look
To the one who gives you His Spirit instead of the seed of the serpent and allows you to be born again with a new heart.
When I look there and abide there on this one who loves me like that, how Egypt ever look sweeter to me than Jesus? And how could I go back there?
I have been talking to us believers for the moment,
Now, let me say a word to the unbelievers who are present.
What are you looking at in order to heal your soul?
One of the most famous conversion stories is that of famous English Baptist Preacher Charles Spurgeon. When he was 15 years old he found himself on a blustery winter day at the Primitive Methodist Church in Colchester in Essex, United Kingdom. The preacher spoke on Isaiah 45:22 that day, which states in the KJV, “Look unto me and be saved.”
Spurgeon says of the pastor “He had not much to say, thank God, for that compelled him to keep on repeating his text, and there was nothing needed – by me, at any rate – except his text. I remember how he said, ‘My dear friends, this is a very simple text indeed. It says, ‘Look.’ Now lookin’ don’t take a deal of pain. It ain’t liftin’ your foot or your finger; it is just ‘Look!.’ Well, a man needn’t go to college to learn to look. You may be the biggest fool, and yet you can look… A child can look. One who is almost an idiot can look. However weak, or however poor a man may be, he can look. And if he looks the promise is that he shall live.’
The preacher eventually singled out 15 year old Spurgeon and said, “Young man, look to Jesus Christ. Look! Look! Look! You have nothing to do but to look and live!” And I did look.” “I saw at once the way of salvation. I know not what else he said – I did not take much notice of it – I was so possessed with that one thought. Like as when the brazen serpent was lifted up, the people only looked and were healed, so it was with me. I had been waiting to do fifty things, but when I heard that word, ‘Look!’ what a charming word it seemed to me. “Oh I could have looked until I could almost have looked my eyes away. There and then the cloud was gone, the darkness had rolled away, and that moment I saw the sun; and I could have risen that instant, and sung with the most enthusiastic of them, of the precious blood of Christ, and the simple faith which alone looks to him. O that somebody had told me this before, ‘Trust Christ, and you shall be saved.'”
[Gospel Appeal]
Let’s pray.
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