Words of Grace

By Rev. Mahlon Nevel

When Moses led God’s chosen people out of Egypt and toward the Red Sea, the people began to complain. They spoke against God and also against Moses.

They wondered why they were brought out of Egypt just to die in the wilderness. They were hungry and thirsty and were already tired of eating the manna that God supplied to them every morning.

In anger, God sent fiery serpents as a judgment. When the serpents began to bite the people, many of them died.

Then the people went to Moses, confessing that they had sinned against him and also against God. They begged Moses to pray for them that the Lord would take away the serpents.

When Moses prayed for them the Lord told him to make a serpent out of brass and put it up on a pole. When any person who was bitter would look up to the serpent on the pole, he would live.

And sure enough it came to pass. All those who were bitten, when they beheld the brasen serpent, lived. (Numbers 21:4-9)

When Nicodemus came to Jesus one night, Jesus reminded him of this. He said:

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:14, 15).