From Mount Hor [the Israelites] set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way.

Numbers 21:4-9

If I were to take a poll to determine everyone’s favorite verse of the Bible, John 3:16 might find itself near the top. It is a good one – Martin Luther once called it the gospel in miniature.

If I were to take a similar poll to determine everyone’s favorite book of the Bible, the Gospel of John might find itself near the top again. And, again, with good reason. The other three gospels would most likely be near the top too. And perhaps the Book of Psalms, or Proverbs, or one of Paul’s Letters.

But I would venture to guess that the Book of Numbers would not be one of the leading vote-getters for a favorite book of the Bible. And I’ll admit, it’s not at the top of my list either.  But I do like the Book of Numbers, for a very simple reason: Because it tells the truth. The truth about God, and the truth about ourselves. And because it is not as familiar to us as John 3:16, I thought I’d preach on the first reading today, from the Book of Numbers. 

This book gets its name from the fact that it begins with a census of the whole congregation of Israelites. The Hebrew name for the Book of Numbers is, in English, “In the Desert.” And that is arguably a better name for this book. Because that is what it is about, the story of God’s people in the wilderness, in the desert. And what this book does best, again, is tell the truth – It tells us the truth about us humans, about all the ways in which we bring heartache upon ourselves and those around us. But also tells us the truth about the extravagant grace and endless mercy of our awesome Creator.

Numbers 21

We can see all of this in the passage chosen for today’s First Reading, from the 21^st Chapter of the Book of Numbers. The people of Israel are in the desert, headed to the Promised Land. A journey that will take them 40 years. And 38 of those years are recorded in this book. They have been freed from slavery in Egypt. They have been led through the Red Sea and brought to Mount Sinai by their leader, Moses. There God promised to be their God, and gave them Ten Commandments to live by as his people.

And they lived happily ever after, right? Not exactly. Remember, this book tells the truth. And the truth is that the people of God have never lived very faithfully, and so have never lived completely happily.

Our Journey to the Promised Land

This book tells the truth, not only about the people of Israel, but about you and me. About our journey through life, our journey to the Promised Land. When you think about it, our journey is very much the same, even if we never go on a physical journey at all.

Our journey of faith parallels the Israelites journey from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land of Israel. We have been rescued from slavery, slavery to sin. And we are headed to the Promised Land. But in the meantime, we are trying to live as God’s faithful people, and learning how to do that together.

Our journey of faith is similar to the journey of the people of Israel, and so this book can teach us about ourselves. About how we are called to live. About the ways in which we fail. And about the ways in which God forgives us. So let’s take a closer look at this First Reading, and see what we can learn.

Impatient On the Way

It begins harmlessly enough – the people are headed toward the Promised Land, going around the land of Edom. But they “became impatient on the way.” It’s taking too long to get to the Promised Land! I can almost imagine them saying to Moses, “Aren’t we there yet?” Who hasn’t heard that, right? Or, if we’re honest, who hasn’t said it! And then the Israelites speak against God and against Moses: 

“Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.”

Well, the truth is that God didn’t bring them out of Egypt to die, and there is food and water. In fact, God has been graciously providing Manna for their daily needs, and even quail when they complained of only getting manna. But they are complaining again – tired of the food that God is graciously providing. They have even grown to detest it.

Tired of Our Spiritual Food?

How about us? Do we ever tire of the food that God provides for us? The physical food, but also the spiritual food. Holy Communion has often been compared to Manna from Heaven, even by Jesus himself. As he said in John 6, “I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.” 

Jesus’ body and blood is the Bread of Heaven, and the Bread of Life. But if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that there have been times when we have grown tired of receiving this food. Tired of daily prayer or weekly worship, or tired of hearing God’s Word, or tired of receiving the Lord’s Supper. Or even tired of trying to faithfully follow Jesus. We want to be there. We want to be in the Promised Land. We have grown impatient on the way.

God’s Judgment

So how does God respond to the impatience of the Israelites? Turning back to the Book of Numbers, we read that: 

“The LORD sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died.”

Turning from God is no small thing. When we turn from God, we turn from the One who created us, and who provides for our daily lives. There is no other result of this than death. It is the consequence of our sin. As Jesus says of himself in today’s Gospel Reading:

“Those who believe in the Son of Man are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

Our Repentance and God’s Forgiveness

Turning from God is no small thing. But turning from God is not the end of the story. For the people of Israel, or for us. Reading on in Numbers: 

“The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD to take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live. So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.”

Amazing, isn’t it? God’s patience. God’s endless mercy. God’s gracious forgiveness. God is always eager to forgive. He is always like the Father in the story of the Prodigal Son, running to greet his son who has returned home. We never have to climb out of our sin and find our way to God.

The moment that we turn from our sinful ways, God is already there, to forgive us and welcome us home. Before the prodigal son could even finish saying “I’m sorry,” the father had already thrown his arms around him, forgiven him, and welcomed him home. And so our Heavenly Father does for us.

A Gracious Antidote

In the Book of Numbers, God not only forgives his people, but graciously provides an antidote to the poison of the serpent. The antidote turns out to be a serpent of bronze, set on a pole. And when someone was bit by the serpent, all they had to do was look at the serpent of bronze and live.

That symbol, of a serpent on a pole, is a familiar one to this day. It is still a popular symbol of healing. Paramedics still wear this symbol on their uniform, in fact. But it is not the ultimate symbol of healing for us as Christians. Because Jesus changed all of that.

Our Gracious Antidote – Jesus Himself

In today’s Gospel Reading, Jesus is talking with Nicodemus about what his coming means for the world. And he says to Nicodemus:

“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

The antidote to our poison snake, the antidote to our sin, turns out to be none other than Jesus himself. He is the one who is lifted up, not on a pole, but on a cross. And all who have been bitten – not by a snake, but by sin – have only to turn to him and live. Amazing, isn’t it? That God would love us enough not only to forgive us, but to provide an antidote for the lethal poison called sin. And the antidote is his only Son. And all who believe in him do not perish, but have eternal life.

God’s son is our life and our salvation. He is our true manna from heaven. He is the antidote to the poison of sin. Think of that the next time you receive Holy Communion. When you eat and drink his body and blood, it is as if you are receiving a precious antidote for your sin. The body of Christ, given for you. The blood of Christ, shed for you. He is your life and your salvation. You need only turn to him and live.

Returning to God 

Our journey is not complete, as long as we are on this earth. We have been freed from our bondage to sin. That happened in the waters of Holy Baptism. But we are not to the promised land yet. We are on the way. And on the way, we will grow impatient. We will want to be there, already. We will want the world to be there, already. Free from suffering and pain, from sorrow and sickness and death. 

We will grow impatient. And we will sin. We will grow tired of God’s gifts to us of Word and Sacrament. We will grow weary of living our Christian life, of showing love and forgiveness to everyone around us. We will even turn from God. 

But God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. And loves us so very much that he gave his only Son. And God invites us today to return to him. Return to God, and receive the forgiveness of your sins. Return to God, and receive the Bread of Heaven. Return to God, and believe in him. For he sent his only Son to rescue us from sin and to give each of us the gift of eternal life. Thanks be to God. Amen.