God sends venomous snakes to bite and kill his people for complaining
Numbers 21:4-9 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!"
Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people.
The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.
PERSONAL COMMENTARY
If this story was in any other religious book than the Bible, we would think it very cultic.
3 comments:
eh, personally, i wouldn't find it cultish, but that's just me. the bible is filled with very intricate, well planned and executed processions of faith. and this lil tidbit about the snake seems to have made such an impact on the world, it's used globally as a symbol for 'health' or anything relating to 'come here and we'll help you get healthy'.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caduceus
i think another point to take from these verses, if that the Creator will punish Its children in very harsh & bizarre ways, but always provide them with the simplest thing to do to make things right again.
The symbol of health came as a result of this story so I'm not sure that can be used as an argument to make sense of the story.
I think the cultic nature of this was just making a bronze serpent and putting it on a pole. Sounds a bit like the pagan religions of the day.
However, I'm sure there's symbolism there. Not sure a serpent is a good representation for Christ though.
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Lenny
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