Timely Insights into God's Word from Khandielese Reyes

“And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.  And the people spake against God, and against Moses.  Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?  For there is no bread, neither is their any water, and our soul loatheth this light bread.  And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.  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.  And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.  And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.”  (Num 21:4-9) 

“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.  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”   (John 3:14-17) 

Beginning with Adam, and throughout the ages up to the present time, the willful act of sin against the Lord God by man, had led and continues to lead to death.  The fall of man began with Adam.  Because of his disobedience against the commandments of the Lord, Adam caused spiritual death in man, and separation from the Father up until the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ who shed his blood for the remission of the sins of man. 

Here in the book of Numbers, Chapter 21, we read of the Children of Israel’s journey through the wilderness, where once again they all began to murmur and complain against Moses, and worse of all, against The Lord.  Daily there seemed to have been one complaint after the other.  The water or the lack of, the food or the lack of, almost always there was a complaint of some sort, rather than a word of thanksgiving to God for ALL He had brought them through.  Now, here they were traveling through the wilderness raising their voices up in distress and discouragement against Moses for leading them through the barrenness and against God for removing them from the land of Egypt, and the Lord had had ENOUGH.  Their lack of faith, their lack of trust in Him, their lack of thanksgiving and praise were direct sins against Him, and  for their constant murmuring and complaining, they received of the Lord punishment in the form of poisonous snakes.  The bite from these venomous snakes, caused physical death to many of God’s chosen ones.  Acknowledging their sins against the Lord God, the people came to Moses in TRUE REPENTANCE and sorrow, seeking that he would pray to the Lord on their behalf to remove the snakes from among them.    

Oh how merciful, loving and forgiving our Father is.  He could have declined Moses’ request and allowed the venomous serpents to remain among the people until every last one had perished with the bite.  However, rather than allow the snakes to further destroy His people, He instead gave them a means of “salvation”, a means of setting them free from the punishment of their sins.   Creating a brass serpent, and setting it upon a pole as instructed by the Lord, Moses delivered the promise to the people that everyone who’d been bitten by the snakes, upon beholding this brass image, they would live, and so it was.  All who’d been bitten, upon looking at this “image sitting up on the pole”, were delivered from their afflictions and LIVED! 

AWESOME IS OUR GOD!  Whose mercy endures forever!!!  Whose love knows NO END!!  The people of Israel acknowledge their sins against the Lord, and came before him in true repentance seeking forgiveness and deliverance from the “physical death” that awaited them because of their disobedience.  And the Lord heard their prayers and offered them A WAY of ESCAPE! 

And now THIS DAY, The LORD GOD offers a way of escape to ALL who would come before Him in TRUE REPENTANCE. ALL who would come acknowledging their sins against Him, who would seek forgiveness and deliverance from what would ultimately be “eternal death”  for ALL who choose to remain in sin.  The pole that held the brass image, has now become THE CROSS and upon The Cross, hung the SINLESS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD, whose blood was shed that WE may live!  As many as would BEHOLD the Lamb of God, as many as would REPENT and turn away from their sins, as many as would RECEIVE and CONFESS His Name, as many as would BELIEVE…..   such shall be delivered from the venomous bite of SIN which had us all bound, and such would then RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE!  A brass image on a pole saved the children of Israel who repented from “natural death”, but the SON of GOD on the CROSS, saves ALL WHO WOULD REPENT from ETERNAL DEATH! 

BEHOLD! THE LAMB OF GOD  WHO TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD! (John 1:29)….. LOOK UPON HIM…..AND LIVE!!!!

I love you all so very much. Have a blessed week in the Lord and remember: Whatever we do, do ALL for the GLORY of GOD, who ALONE is worthy of the GLORY and the PRAISE!

May the peace of the Lord be with you today and always…….

Khandielese
Daughter & Servant
   of the Lord God