In the Old Testament, when Moses was leading the Israelites out of Egypt, there came a point when they began complaining and rebelling against him. To understand what was really happening, we need to slow down and look at the context.
God had just liberated them from Egyptian slavery. He sent Moses, the one man capable of confronting Pharaoh and leading them to freedom. Yet the Israelites complained about Moses’ leadership and about the journey that God Himself had ordained. When they lacked food, God sent manna from heaven, daily provision straight from His hand, and still they complained about the manna.
This persistent murmuring did not remain a small issue. It led to deeper and more serious sins against God.
Idolatry with the golden calf in Exodus 32
Sexual immorality and idol worship at Baal Peor in Numbers 25
Refusal to enter the Promised Land due to unbelief in Numbers 13 and 14
Repeated testing of God despite overwhelming miracles
Psalm 106 summarizes it bluntly:
“They soon forgot His works… they despised the pleasant land… they murmured in their tents.”
After repeated opportunities to witness God’s blessings, judgment came. God sent serpents, not to inflict meaningless suffering, but to test whether the people would turn back to Him. It is important to remember that they were already traveling through the wilderness. The snakes were already there. God had simply been protecting them from harm, and for a moment He removed that protection so their hearts could be revealed. The people were bitten by venomous serpents.
This is why this moment is better understood as judgment rather than punishment. Punishment exists to cause suffering and is often vindictive or retaliatory. If God’s intent had been punishment, He could have wiped them out entirely or prolonged their suffering. Instead, judgment came quickly, repentance followed immediately, and healing was made available to everyone.
The solution was simple and profound. All they had to do was look in faith at the serpent lifted on the staff that Moses raised. The serpent pointed forward to Christ.
The symbolism is powerful. Those who looked at the serpent were immediately healed. Those who refused to look died.
In life, we go through many trials that test our faith. Slowly, almost without noticing, we begin to murmur, complain, and rebel against God. Sometimes this rebellion looks obvious, falling into sin or returning to things that once felt good because they numbed our pain and offered temporary relief. Other times it is far more subtle. We stop praying the way we used to. We distance ourselves from church. We neglect the practices that once kept us close to Him, not out of defiance, but out of weariness, distraction, or quiet discouragement.
Then comes a moment of judgment. Not always dramatic, not always visible to others, but deeply personal. A test. A trial. Something that brings stress, pain, or loss. Something that interrupts our routines and strips away our illusions. It forces us to stop and look inward. We begin to question our choices, our priorities, our faith, and sometimes even our purpose or existence.
This moment is not meant to destroy us. It is meant to reveal us. It exposes where we have drifted, where we have relied on comfort instead of trust, and where we have tried to survive without fully depending on God. Judgment, in this sense, is not condemnation. It is an invitation. A moment where God allows reality to confront us so that our hearts can turn back to Him.
In that moment, how do we respond?
Do we choose faith and look at the serpent, meaning do we turn our eyes back to Christ? Do we choose faith and trust the process? Do we humble ourselves and draw closer to Him? Or do we walk away and pursue our own version of happiness, one that only numbs the spirit and weakens our faith?
I have recently gone through this process myself. The pain is heavy, because lessons often are. But I have seen how faith brings peace. It gives love and allows us to forgive those who have hurt us. If we take that leap of faith, if we take that one step toward Him, He brings clarity, strength, and the ability to move forward. Because of this, I trust that God will bless us, because He has promised that He will.
Righteousness does not mean perfection. It means choosing God again and again, even when we fall, even when the road is hard, and even when faith requires humility. To be righteous is to turn our hearts toward Him, to trust His ways over our own understanding, and to remain willing to be corrected, refined, and guided.
To be favored of God does not mean a life free of trials. It means a life sustained through them. It means His presence in our pain, His guidance in our confusion, and His peace in the middle of uncertainty. His blessings are not always immediate relief, but they are always purposeful, shaping us into who He knows we can become.
When we choose Him to be our God, we are choosing dependence over pride, faith over fear, and truth over temporary comfort. And in that choice, He responds with love, protection, growth, and promises that do not fail.
No comments:
Post a Comment