The text for this lesson is Numbers 21:4–9
Key Point
- As the bronze serpent was lifted up to heal and save the Israelites from the snakes, so Christ was lifted up on the cross to heal and save us from sin, death, and the devil.
- Law: Bitten and poisoned by sin and death, I complain when life is not what I want.
- Gospel: God calls me to repentance and points me to Christ, who heals me by His death and resurrection.
Discussion Points
- What hangs on the walls in your home? What do these items represent in your life? Now think of something you would not want to hang on your wall.
- In Numbers 21:5, the Israelites call the manna they have been eating for forty years “worthless.” Why is this more serious than just complaining?
- Read Numbers 21:6. Connect this passage to the account of the fall into sin in Genesis 3. What would the Israelites have thought about immediately when they saw the serpents?
- Read Numbers 21:7–9. What is the people’s prayer? Does God answer it with a yes? Why would God answer their prayer the way He does?
- Read John 3:14–15. What prophetic message does God send by healing the Israelites through a serpent lifted up on a pole?
- What attitudes lured the Israelites into sin? Do these same attitudes tempt us? Read 1 Corinthians 10:6–13. How does the Lord help us stand against these temptations?
- The Israelites looked to a bronze serpent on a pole and found healing. Where do we look to find the healing that God provides?
