“And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died” (Num. 21:6).
After the Israelites complained against both Moses and God, an army of fiery serpents crawled into the camp and began biting them. The Isaac Leeser translation says, “The Lord let loose fiery serpents.”
There’s a big difference between sending and letting loose.
Remember, the Israelites were in the wilderness – a place that’s full of snakes. So the miracle was not the fact that the snakes started biting them; the miracle was that three million people had been out in the wilderness all this time, and they hadn’t been bitten until then!
God had supernaturally surrounded His people with protection and kept the snakes out. But when they broke their covenant through rebellion and complaining, God withdrew His merciful protection. Only then were they bitten.
The people got into trouble spiritually when they sinned. As a result, the serpents were able to come in the camp, and the people got into trouble physically as well.
“Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people” (v. 7).
Isn’t it amazing how quickly the people got the revelation that they had sinned! One minute they were complaining about Moses, and the next minute they wanted him to pray for them.
Moses could have said, “I’m not going to pray for you; you got what you had coming!” But he walked in the God-kind of love and prayed for the repentant Israelites. And God not only forgave His wayward people of their sin, but He provided the way for them to be healed of their deadly wounds.
There are forces in this world that want to kill me, but I walk
in the protection of my Father God. When I miss it, I run to
Him for forgiveness and restoration. I keep my eyes on Him,
for He is my Savior, my healer, my provider, my protector.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
For over 40 years, Pastors Mark and Janet Brazee have traveled throughout the world sharing the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Together they've shared the powerful truths of faith and healing in more than 50 nations.
Today Mark and Janet pastor World Outreach Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they base their ongoing outreach to the world. The Brazees still travel as the Lord leads, and they are raising up a congregation who share their passion to reach Tulsa and the world.