Redemption and blessings go a long way
Every day we're reading or listening to part of the Bible together and sharing thoughts with you. Today it’s Bern Leckie:
What did I like about today’s passage?
I love the pace of chapter 21. Bang! God helps Israel destroy their enemies. Ouch! Still moaning? God sends snakes. But then Boom! Repentance leads to redemption – the value of God’s people expressed through a way back. Intriguingly, it’s not with medicine or an image of healing, but an image of the very thing which hurt people. This is powerful. It’s not explained why God chose this symbol for redemption, but a few things strike me about it:
Snakes represent more than snakes in the Bible. Remember the garden of Eden?
God made and owns the snakes. So this is a sign that he can use them at will.
Any other symbol for healing might have left the impression that snakes are some special kind of baddies in the world which need something else to counteract them. God’s choice of a snake symbol shows instead that they are not to be feared in themselves. God has the ultimate power. Want healing? Look at his snake.
Turning a dreadful, feared, cursed thing into a source of healing and blessing by God raising it up – remind you of anything later in Bible?
The Greeks used the symbol of a snake coiled around a rod to represent healing many years later and, through this, it is still used today. No-one seems sure why. But isn’t it amazing how far good things from God can travel?
While God chose Israel as people to demonstrate life with him, the story of Balak and Balaam shows how far God’s influence went beyond one nation. Even a pagan soothsayer could find God if he honestly looked. I love everything about the talking donkey (enjoy!), but most of all I love that God showed there were no limits on his ability to work in the world.
What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?
God can use anyone who will faithfully respond to him. His guidance leads to seeing aspects of the world which are normally hidden, and what he does through us can last forever.
What am I going to do differently as a result?
This reminds me the power and often surprising nature of prophecy. I am so grateful that God uses us to speak and share words and symbols from him today. I want to do this more but also encourage others that God is choosing to use. It’s not about me but him!
Who am I going to share this with?
People in our open house group and ‘The SHAPE of you’ course who are interested in prophecy.