Jesus in the Old Testament 021: 
Jesus and the Bronze Serpent

Numbers 21:4-9

Thesis: God’s people live in a cycle of sin, punishment, repentance, and mercy. In some sense, every iteration of this cycle points to the work of Christ to stand between the wrath of God and His people.  In the case of the Bronze Serpent, Jesus Himself points to the parallel for us.  The wrath of God, looking to the mercy of God by faith, and receiving life instead of death are all signposts looking toward the work of Christ on our behalf. 

1. Nutshell (w/kids)
1. Tell the story.
2. How do you think this points to Jesus?
3. Ready John 3:14-16.
4. Discuss similarities with the children.

2. Deeper:
1. The pattern of the exodus generation:
1. Whine and complain about something, insulting Moses’ or God’s character along the way.
2. God’s anger breaks out in some way.  Some people die.
3. The people repent.
4. Moses and/or Aaron intercede.
5. God ceases his punishment of them.
2. This pattern first begins in Exodus 15 with bitter water.  It cycles throughout the exodus journey and right up into the time of Judges.  It could be argued that it continues even today.
3. 21:4-6: The current grumbling.
1. Usually, the grumbling is due to food or water.  This time, a U-turn in the route adds to their frustration.
2. “This worthless food.” Manna and Quail have kept them going for nearly two years now.  They are healthy and able to hike long distances every day. 
3. Notice that it was specifically targeted at both their God and His anointed.  Not general frustration, but pointed slander of God’s goodness and Moses’ fidelity.
4. The anger of God
1. Interestingly, God deals with the grumbling and complaining Israelites very differently before the law vs after the law.
2. Hebrew Words describing Anger, Wrath, Vengeance, Fury, appears in the OT a total of 658 times. 

a)     499 times, God is the subject of the verb, so humans have anger or wrath 159 times.

b)     Of the 499, God’s anger is against his people 448 times, so he is angry with pagans 51 times. Interestingly, 48 of those 51 times, he is angry with Pagans because they mistreat his covenant people.

c)      Of the 448 times, his anger is discussed after giving the law in Exodus 19 all but 3 of those times.

d)     It is discussed abstractly twice.  It is applied to Moses once before the law.

e)     So of 499 times God is angry, 445 times it is directed at His people after the law. 89.17%

3. The law brings wrath (I know I’m splicing passages closely, stick with me).

a)     Deut 28:1-6, 15-19.  The law carries with it blessings and cursing.  Before/outside of the law, these consequences are not realized.

b)     Rom 4:15 Where there is no law, there is no wrath.

c)      Rom 5:12-14 Not that people are sinless before the law.  They still sin and still die, but there is a sense in which they do not fall under the full weight of the wrath of God.

d)     Rom 7:7-11 Sin was there, but it was a general curse over me, producing physical death until I “knew better,” then the law itself aroused me to transgress it, earning wrath.

4. Specifically, in the wilderness narrative we’re currently in, compare:

a)     Exodus 15:15-27 with Psalm 106:32, which references the second water grumbling in Num 20:24

b)     Exodus 16 with Numb 11:4-25.  The first time, there is no wrath.  The second time, there is.

c)      Ex 16:23-30, “Don’t try to collect Manna on the Sabbath.  There won’t be any.”  Ex 20:8.  “If you break the Sabbath, you’ll die.”  Num 15:32-36.  A Sabbath-breaker is executed.

5. God is holding his people to a higher standard of behavior after the covenant is enacted.
4. This specific example of God’s Anger: 21:6
1. “Fiery Serpents”

a)     Serpent: Nachash.  31 times in OT.  The regular word for snake or serpent.

b)     Fiery: Saraph. “Burning”  7 times in OT.  Three times as an adjective for serpents, as here.  Twice as an adjective for other objects that are burning or on fire, and twice as an adjectival noun, “burning ones,” an angelic rank.

c)      Isa 40:29, “flying fiery serpent.” References an Egyptian and Mesopotamian serpent god “Wadjet,” the spiritual guide of Pharaoh.

d)     In this area of the world, various venomous serpents existed.  Several cause a burning sensation and death with a bite.  Probably a carpet viper, which was widely recorded as causing lots of fatalities in this part of the world in diverse historical accounts.

2. People start dying immediately. No warning. Compare with:

a)     Num 16:35

b)     Num 16:45-47

c)      Lev 10:2

3. God has already laid out the terms of blessing and cursing.  When you transgress it, there is no “are you sure”?
5. The repentance of the people. 21:7
1. Repentance based on a desire to avoid punishment.
2. “Pray to the Lord” for us/me occurs 15 in OT, mostly in Ex-Num.  Pharaoh and the Israelites understand that repentance needs to be mediated. 
3. This is willful sin.  They cannot just go to a sacrifice.  They need mercy.
6. The giving of mercy. 21:8-9
1. He does not take away the serpents. 
2. The physical consequences of sin remain.  It doesn't become a joyful moment.
3. An exercise of faith, looking to the serpent, brings salvation.
4. Absolutely no physical, natural, explanation for the miraculous healing of those who chose to look at the serpent.
7. Christ Connection:
1. John 3:14-16.
2. The serpent is lifted up as a type of the work of Christ.  There is no natural connection between Christ’s crucifixion and my salvation. It is an act of faith to look upon him.
8. Why a copper/bronze snake on a pole?
1. It’s the metal associated with atonement: Ex 27:1-8.
2. It’s ugly. 

a)     Snakes can inspire all kinds of negative emotions, but nobody cuddles with them.  This was not something that people would enjoy looking at

b)     Isa 53:2-3.  Jesus was not comely or handsome, and his disfigurement for us in his sacrifice is “like one from whom men hide their faces.”

3. Uncleanness:

a)     Lev 11:42.  Snakes are unclean, and anyone who touches their bodies are unclean. Jews kept away from snakes.

b)     Isa 53:3

c)      John 10:25-28

d)     Rom 11:11-15

4. People who are executed and their bodies displayed by hanging are “under a curse.” 

a)     God declared this in Deut 21:23 so that Jesus could bear this curse on our behalf

b)     Gal 3:13

5. It reminded people of the fall.

a)     Genesis 3:1, 14-15

b)     The curse to the serpent includes the promise of the Messiah.  This is another reminder of that coming hope.

10. When symbols become idols: 2Kings 18:1-8
1. Hezekiah embarked on a campaign of removing idolatry from Israel.
2. Common targets: Altars to Baal, High places, Asherah poles.
3. Uncommon target: The bronze serpent. (vs 4)

a)     They had begun worshipping it.

b)     They named it “The bronze thing.” Nehushtan.

4. The Jews had forgotten that the object had been meant to point back to the curse and therefore forward, in faith, to their messiah. 
5. They had put their faith in the thing, instead of the God that the thing was meant to point to.
6. This tendency is why God never wanted to be represented by a carved image (Ex 20:4).
7. Have we done that in any way?

a)     I go to church, so I’m okay.

b)     I was raised in a Christian home, was raised in the church, etc.

c)      I give money to the church.

d)     I serve some way in the church.

8. We cannot forget that all these things that point to our savior are not, in fact, our savior.  Are we good looking to Him and Him alone?

Discussion Questions:

1.       Have you ever complained to the Lord about something in your life about which you should have trusted Him?

2.      What has God done in your life that gives you the confidence to trust him in hard situations?

3.      Why do you think God gave the miraculous healing after looking at the bronze serpent instead of just taking the snakes away?

4.      Is there anything you’re trusting in to save you from your sins other than simple faith in Jesus Christ?  

Jesus in The Old Testament 020: Jesus and the Levitical Sacrifices, Part 2

Jesus in the Old Testament 020:

Jesus and the Levitical Sacrifices, Pt 2

Thesis: Jesus is not only pictured in the Peace, Sin, and Guilt Offerings, but He is the “greater than” fulfillment of both.  The fact that these sacrifices were purposefully ineffective in meriting the forgiveness of intentional sin points to the need for a greater sacrifice.  David articulated the need for this after his sin with Bathsheba. Jesus expressed his identity as the greater sacrifice, and the author of Hebrews warns those who would seek to satisfy the payment for sin in the Old Covenant alone. 

1. Nutshell w/kids (<5 min)
1. The Peace offering:
1. When is God with you?
2. When you do think about God being with you?
3. The Jews were required to bring God a piece of every animal that they killed for food.  Some of that animal would be burned upon the altar for God.  Some would be given to the priests for their food, and some would go home with the family to eat.  In that sense, God and His priests were present at every family meal. 
4. Jesus wants to be a part of every moment of our lives, and His work allows us to live even more closely with God. The Holy Spirit lives INSIDE us!
2. There are sacrifices that God commanded for sin as well.
1. People had to bring Bulls, Goats, Sheep, or Birds, kill them, and sprinkle their blood on the altar.
2. God only allowed them to do this when they accidentally sinned. On purpose sins were not forgiven this way.
3. How is our faith different?
4. Jesus has done away with all of this for us.  He was the perfect sacrifice that forgives all of our sins. 

2. Deeper with Adults
1. Peace Offering (Ch 3)
1. The normal vehicle for slaughtering major food animals in Israel.  Normal allowance for providing food for the priests (7:28-36).
2. No allowance for the non-ritual slaughter of livestock in the Torah (17:1-9) except for wild game (17:13-14)
3. A portion of the animal is burned up as an offering to the Lord (blood and internal fatty organs, 3:3-5)
4. A portion of the animal is given to the priest as part of his pay an allowance from God (breast, right thigh)
5. The rest of the animal may be eaten by the worshipper (assumed?)
6. Picture sitting down to a meal with your family.  Any time you have meat on the table, you are sharing some of your meal with a priest and with the Father as well!
7. This has nothing to do with sin.  It is simply a celebration of one’s place in the community of God’s people.
8.  

Note that this class of offerings has nothing to do with sin; in fact, the Talmud states that in the age of the messiah (when there is no more sin), this will be the only class of offering that is brought to the Temple.  (Judaism 101, jewfaq.com)

2. Sin Offering (Ch 4:1-5:13)
1. First of two classes of sacrifices for atonement.  The distinction is ambiguous.  Perhaps these have to do with sins that make one unclean before the Lord.
2. Just as in other offerings, the actual slaughter is done by the penitent worshipper.  The handling of blood is done by the priest.
3. Some sacrifices are communal (4:1-21).  Some are individual (4:22-5:13).
4. Different sacrifices allowed based on the means of the offender:

a)    Bulls (4:1-21)

b)    Goats (4:22-31; 5:1-6)

c)    Pigeons or Turtledoves (5:7-10)

d)    Or even grain (5:11-13)

5. These sacrifices are usually supposed to be female members of the herd or flock.  Less costly?  Or more costly? Debate.
6. The worshipper does not eat any of this offering.  Some of the meat is burned upon the altar (blood and fat), and the rest is eaten by the Priest or his relatives (7:5-7). 
7. Perhaps “his sons” is meant to be gender-inclusive.  Lev 10:14 allows daughters explicitly.
2. Guilt Offering (Ch 5:14-6:7)
1. Guilt offerings are distinguished from sin offerings, but again, the division is hard to pinpoint.  Perhaps it has to do with sins that separate people from one another?
2. Another idea is that this deals with sins for which recompense can be made (5:16; 6:5). 120% repayment.
3. These are always a male ram without blemish.
4. Just as with the sin offerings, these are meant to feed the priests and their families.  Nothing is eaten by the penitent worshipper.
3. ”Unintentional Sins” vs. the “High Hand.”
1. None of these sacrifices “cover” sins committed intentionally (4:1, 13, 22, 27; 5:1-5, 14, 17-18; 6:1-5)
2. Some of these things on the list are hard to imagine being done intentionally, but the text allows that it may be possible.
3. It could be that some of these things are done out of weakness and deception and the “when he realizes his guilt” phrase is the moment when his conscience informs him that he really did violate the laws of the Lord.
4. The Day of Atonement covers all sins that are rightly repented.  Lev 16:20-22  
5. For those who commit an intentional, or “high-handed” sin, there is no sacrifice. Numbers 15:27-31 Terrifying.

a)    High-handed, fist raised in rebellion

b)    Unrepentant posture.

6. David’s example: Psalm 51

a)    David’s plea is to God’s mercy, not the sacrificial system.

b)    He knows that there is no sacrifice fitting his sin (vs 15-17)

c)    He acknowledges that if God were to cut him off for his sins, that God would be justified in doing so (vs 4-5).

d)    Several phrases are used in Hebraic parallelism to cast light on the loving power of God to forgive sin:

(1)  Blot out (vs 1)

(2)  Wash me thoroughly (vs 2)

(3)  Cleanse me (vs 2)

(4)  Purge me with hyssop (vs 7) is a reference to the plant’s use in cleansing ceremonies (Lev 14:6; Num 19:6).

(5)  Wash me (vs 7)

(6)  Hide your face from my sins (vs 9)

(7)  Blot out (vs 9)

(8)  Create in me a clean heart (vs 10)

(9)  Renew a right spirit (vs10)

(10)                Deliver me (vs 14)

e)    The Holy Spirit, who resided on David from his anointing as a young boy is mentioned in vs 11. 

(1)  David knows that he was taken from Saul, and he is afraid that this might happen to him.

(2)  Difference between old and new covenant relationship with the Holy Spirit.

f)     Jesus is here by name.

(1)  Vs 12: Restore to me the joy of your Yeshua, Jesus.

(2)  Vs 14: Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, O God my Yeshua, Jesus.

g)    After he asks for forgiveness, David praises God for his mercy, communicated through the prophet Nathan.

5. The unforgivable sin, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit
1. In Matthew 12:22-32

a)    A clear work of God to save is rejected by men and ascribed to some other source.

b)    Jesus tells them that to reject the work of God’s spirit and speak evil against Him is unforgivable.

(1)  It is Jesus who wins your salvation, but it is the Holy Spirit who draws you to that work, applies it to your life, and seals you for redemption.

(2)  If you reject the work of the Holy Spirit to save you, you cannot be saved by that work.

2. In Hebrews 10:26-39

a)    The law provides no sacrifice for those who sin willfully (Lev 4-6).

b)    The only recompense allowed is for that person to throw themselves on the mercy of God (Psalm 51).

c)    Jesus’ work is the avenue of mercy available to provide the forgiveness which the law cannot.  It was the mercy of God worked in Christ that the sinner clings to, in the OT or NT (Psalm 51).

d)    If Jesus’ work is seen as insufficient and is not trusted, then the Spirit who sanctifies (Heb 10:29) will not do His work, and the person is lost, with only the expectation of judgment.

e)    Does this mean you can lose your salvation?

(1)  No, it means that people are damned because they were never saved in the first place.

(2)  I, We, He, You Pronouns

(3)  “Receiving knowledge of the truth” does not mean it was embraced.

(4)  “By which he was sanctified” is in contrast to having rejected that work.  It would have happened, had the Spirit not been rejected.

(5)  This warning is addressed to those who are leaving the body of believers (vs 24-25) due to persecution.

(6)  Those who remain in the faith despite persecution demonstrate their authentic salvation by doing so (vs 32-39).

6. Application:
1. We can enjoy the constant fellowship of God through the sacrifice of Jesus!
2. Our sins are costly and separate us from God.
3. Jesus does for us what the Old covenant was impotent to do.
4. If we do not let Jesus do His work or the Holy Spirit apply it to our lives, we are without hope.

Discussion Questions:

1. Do we come to family meals with the expectation that God is dining with us?  What would look differently if we did?
2. Do we take our sin seriously, or do we treat the work of Jesus lightly?
3. How would you live differently if God only forgave your “mistakes,” not your “on purpose” sins?
4. Spend a few moments as a family unit thanking God that all your sins have been forgiven.