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March 30, 2003 - Numbers 21:4-9

Open It

1. What are some of your pet peeves?
2. What happens when you pray to the Lord for patience?
3. What is a hasty decision you made that you later regretted?

Explore It

4. Where did the people of Israel become impatient? (21:4)
5. How did the people express their impatience against God and Moses? (21:5)
6. What was the results of the impatience of the Israelites? (21:6)
7. How did the people ask Moses to intervene on their behalf? (21:7)
8. What did the Lord tell Moses to do with a snake? (21:8)
9. If someone was bitten by a snake, how could he or she be healed? (21:9)

Get It

10. What does this passage teach us about becoming impatient with the church or with God?
11. How was Moses able to remain patient even when those around him were not?
12. In what ways do our sins come back to hurt us?
13. When you're in a spiritual battle, how can patience bring a victory?
14. What are positive ways to deal with impatient people?

Apply It

15. How can you allow the Lord to help you develop your character through testing times this week?
16. What is a specific area of your life today in which you would like to develop patience?

In Psalm 78, we learn the sources of Israel's complaining: (1) their spirits were not faithful to God (Numbers 78:8); (2) they refused to obey God's law (Numbers 78:10); (3) they forgot the miracles God had done for them (Numbers 78:11). Our complaining often has its roots in one of these thoughtless actions and attitudes. If we can deal with the cause of our complaining, it will not take hold and grow in our lives.

The Desert of Sinai has a variety of snakes. Some hide in the sand and attack without warning. Both the Israelites and the Egyptians had a great fear of snakes. A bite by a poisonous snake often meant a slow death with intense suffering. the impatience of the people of Israel led to a let down in their guard. They set up camp in a place where there venomous snakes and could not avoid being bitten.

When the bronze snake was hung on the pole, the Israelites didn't know the fuller meaning Jesus Christ would bring to this event (see John 3:14-15). Jesus explained that just as the Israelites were healed of their sickness by looking at the snake on the pole, all believers today can be saved from the sickness of sin by looking to Jesus' death on the cross. It was not the snake that healed the people, but their belief that God could heal them. This belief was demonstrated by their obedience to God's instructions. In the same way, we should continue to look to Christ (see Hebrews 12:2).

CHART: THE SNAKE IN THE DESERT

Compare the texts for yourself: Numbers 21:7-9 and John 3:14-15.

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