History and Jesus
How had the Jews found themselves in the desert.
1. Abraham was the father of the Jewish nation and also much of the Arabic nation.
Jews are direct descendants of Abraham and Muslims believe that Muhammad was a descendent of Abraham.
"Indeed, one cannot be a true Muslim without acknowledging the central role of Abraham." according to Islam.
2. Abraham had 2 sons, Isaac and Ishmael.
Isaac had 2 sons Esau and Jacob.
Esau was more like his father and Jacob was more like his mother.
Jacob tricked his father into signing over Esau’s inheritance to him.
As the first born Esau was entitled to his fathers estate on his death.
Jacob then fled when Esau found out.
3. Jacob had an encounter with God and God renamed Jacob Israel and said that he would rename Jacob Israel and built a great nation from him.
Genesis 35
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After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him.
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God said to him, "Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel. " So he named him Israel.
And God said to him, "I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body.
4. Jacob had 12 sons
His sons were, in order of their birth: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin, all of whom became the heads of their own family groups.
They were later known as the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
5. Joseph was special and God had plans for him.
His brothers hated him and sold him into slavery.
Joseph rose to become the second most powerful man in Egypt after the Pharoah.
He invited his family to join him in Egypt.
Egypt was the only country around that had any food during the famine and people including the Jews went to Egypt for food.
They stayed on after the famine.
6. The Israelites multiplied must faster than the Egyptians and this worried the Egyptians.
They enslaved the Israelites for fear of them taking over and made their lives miserable.
Moses got them out of Egypt and into the desert for 40 years.
What happened in the Desert and how does this connect with Jesus?
Numbers 21 New International Version
Arad Destroyed
21 When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them.
2 Then Israel made this vow to the LORD: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy their cities.” 3 The LORD listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites over to them. They completely destroyed them and their towns; so the place was named Hormah.
The Bronze Snake
4 They travelled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way;
5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”
6 Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.
7 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.
8 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.” 9 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, they lived.
Numbers 21
The people were in the desert
21:5 In Psalm 78, we learn the sources of Israel’s complaining:
(1) Their spirits were not faithful to God (78:8);
(2) they refused to obey God’s law (78:10);
(3) they forgot the miracles God had done for them (78:11).
Our complaining often has its roots in one of these thoughtless actions and attitudes. If we can deal with the cause of our complaining, it will not take hold and grow in our lives.
The Israelites were miserable and talking about being better off when they were in Egypt. This is a common feature of people who have been released from tyranny. At least tyranny they say had order to it.
21:6 God used venomous snakes to punish the people for their unbelief and complaining.
The Desert of Sinai has a variety of snakes. Some hide in the sand and attack without warning.
Both the Israelites and the Egyptians had a great fear of snakes. A bite by a poisonous snake often meant a slow death with intense suffering.
21:8-9 When the bronze snake was hung on the pole, the Israelites didn’t know the fuller meaning Jesus Christ would bring to this event (see John 3:14-15).
Jesus explained that just as the Israelites were healed of their sickness by looking at the snake on the pole, all believers today can be saved from the sickness of sin by looking to Jesus’ death on the cross.
The people were forced to face their fears in looking at the snake.
All areas of psychotherapy say look at what you are afraid of and you will become brave.
It is better to be brave than to be safe. If you are brave then you can make yourself safe.
So God does not chase away the snakes he make everyone braver.
It was not the snake that healed the people, but their belief that God could heal them. This belief was demonstrated by their obedience to God’s instructions.
In the same way, we should continue to look to Christ (see Hebrews 12:2). 21:14
John 3 NIV
13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
The Crucifixion of Jesus
The story of Jesus is the most tragic story that anyone can possibly write.
It is the total of all things that people are afraid of.
There was no death more painful than crucifixion.
It is why the Romans used it to deter political prisoners.
Jesus was in the situation that he knew it was coming (see Psalm 22).
Just think one of your best friends has betrayed you. (Judas)
· Your other friends (the disciples) have run away in fear.
And your own people have turned against you despite the wonderful things you have done for them.
· The Jews sided with the Pharisees even though they knew better.
The people were led by tyrants who would not admit the truth.
· The Pharisees knew the truth about Jesus.
And you are a victim of the Roman Empire. The most tyrannical empire that ever existed.
· And everybody knows it.
And they choose a criminal to be released who they know is guilty.
And you are a young man.
And you have done absolutely nothing wrong.
And all you have done is to try and help people.
And Jesus forgave those people.