The Bronze Serpent: September 16, 2012
The text for this lesson is Numbers 21:4–9.
Key Point
- As the bronze serpent was lifted up to heal and save the Israelites from the snakes, so Christ was lifted up on the cross to heal and save us from sin, death, and the devil.
- Law: Bitten and poisoned by sin and death, I complain when life is not what I want.
- Gospel: God calls me to repentance and points me to Christ, who heals me by His death and resurrection.
Discussion Points
- What hangs on the walls in your home? What do these items represent in your life? What items would you never hang on a wall in your home?
- Forty years have passed since the Israelites first attempted to enter the Promised Land. That generation has died, and their children are nearly ready to make that land their own. The conquest has already begun. Read Numbers 21:1–5 and the parallel passage, Deuteronomy 2:1–5. Why are the Israelites upset?
- In Numbers 21:5, the Israelites call the manna they have been eating for forty years “worthless.” Why is this more serious than just complaining?
- Read Numbers 21:6. Connect this passage to the account of the fall into sin in Genesis 3. What would the Israelites have thought about immediately when they saw the serpents?
- Read Numbers 21:7–9. What is the people’s prayer? Does God answer it with a yes? Why would God answer their prayer the way He does?
- Read John 3:14–15. What prophetic message does God send by healing the Israelites through a serpent lifted up on a pole?
- Read John 3:14–15 again and this time read verse 16 as well. Does the Israelites’ encounter with the serpents highlight any specific aspect of verse 16?
- What attitudes lured the Israelites into sin? Do these same attitudes tempt us? Read 1 Corinthians 10:6–13. How does the Lord help us stand against these temptations?
- The Israelites looked to a bronze serpent on a pole and found healing. Where do we look to find the healing that God provides?
