Notes
Introduction
- The Plague that took out 14,700 Israelites (Num. 15:41-50) led to the necessity of the red heifer (Num. 19).
- Israel has a cycle of complaint and rebellion that Moses must intercede to turn God’s wrath.
Water from a Rock
Num. 20:7-13 LSB [Miriam dies in verse one].
- Psa. 106:32-33 LSB “They also provoked Him to wrath at the waters of Meribah, So that it went badly with Moses on their account; 33 Because they were rebellious against His Spirit, He spoke rashly with his lips.”
- Deut. 32:48-52 LSB
- Moses and Aaron did not believe God or treat Him as holy in the sight of Israel. (Num. 20:12).
- No matter how righteous we may be, it ultimately amounts to nothing because of the nature of and inclination towards sin.
The Red Heifer
Num. 19:1-4, 12 LSB
- The command of the Red Heifer falls under Chukchim, a commandment with no rational explanation.
- The amount of death through sin caused the entire camp to be ritually unclean. The Red Heifer is God’s provision to cleanse from sin.
- Romans 6:23 LSB “For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- Gen. 2:16-17; 3:1-7 LSB
- The patience and longsuffering of God.
- God dwelt among Israel and did great wonders for them, yet they continually rebelled.
- Matt. 11:20-24 LSB
- Num. 19:12
- Third day: Jesus’ resurrection.
- Seventh day: Eternal Sabbath rest
The Bronze Serpent
Num. 21:6-9 LSB
- Rashi states that the serpents were sent because of the serpent in the garden and that because they complained about their food, they were punished by the one condemned to eat dust.
- The destructive nature of sin
- Miriam was Israel’s prophet, Aaron was its priest, and Moses was its pastor/shepherd, yet they did not enter the Promised Land because of sin.
- 2 Kgs. 18:1-6 LSB
The Savior
- The Bronze Serpent delivered from the fiery sting of death.
- He who knew no sin became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21)
- Jn. 3:14-21 LSB
- We turn our attention from the serpent (sin) to the Lamb (our salvation).
- Heb. 2:1-4 LSB
- Jn. 20:30-31
- He who knew no sin became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21).
- Jn. 3:14-21 LSB
Charles Spurgeon’s 1,500th Sermon
Lifting up the Brazen Serpent
Num. 21:9 LSB “And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it happened, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.”
“Concerning our text and the serpent of brass. If you turn to John’s gospel you will notice that its commencement contains a sort of orderly list of types taken from Holy Scripture It begins with the creation. God said, “Let there be light,” and John begins by declaring that Jesus, the eternal Word, is “the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” Before he closes his first chapter John has introduced a type supplied by Abel, for when the Baptist saw Jesus coming to him he said, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” Nor is the first chapter finished before we are reminded of Jacob’s ladder, for we find our Lord declaring to Nathanael, “Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” By the time we have reached the third chapter we have come as far as Israel in the wilderness, and we read the joyful words, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” We are going to speak of this act of Moses this morning, that we may all of us behold the brazen serpent and find the promise true, “every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon the brazen serpent, shall live.” It may be that you who have looked before will derive fresh benefit from looking again, while some who have never turned their eyes in that direction may gaze upon the uplifted Saviour, and this morning be saved from the burning venom of the serpent, that deadly poison of sin which now lurks in their nature, and breeds death to their souls. May the Holy Spirit make the word effectual to that gracious end.”
“Let us notice that the fiery serpents first of all came among the people because they had despised God’ s way and God’s bread. “The soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.” It was God’s way, he had chosen it for them, and he had chosen it in wisdom and mercy, but they murmured at it. As an old divine says, “It was lonesome and longsome,” but still it was God’s way, and therefore it ought not to have been loathsome: his pillar of fire and cloud went before them, and his servants Moses and Aaron led them like a flock, and they ought to have followed cheerfully. Every step of their previous journey had been rightly ordered, and they ought to have been quite sure that this compassing of the land of Edom was rightly ordered, too. But, no; they quarrelled with God’s way, and wanted to have their own way. This is one of the great standing follies of men; they cannot be content to wait on the Lord and keep his way, but they prefer a will and way of their own.”
“A believer never claims merit or honour on account of his faith. Faith is a self-denying grace, and never dares to boast. Where is the great credit of simply believing the truth, and humbly trusting Christ to save you? Faith glorifies God, and so our Lord has chosen it as the means of our salvation. If a priest had come and touched the bitten man he might have ascribed some honour to the priest; but when there was no priest in the case, when there was nothing except looking to that brazen serpent, the man was driven to the conclusion that God’s love and power had healed him. I am not saved by anything that I have done, but by what the Lord has done. To that conclusion God will have us all come; we must all confess that if saved it is by his free, rich, sovereign, undeserved grace displayed in the person of his dear Son.”
Notes and Resources:
Christ in the Old Testament by C. H. Spurgeon, pgs. 257-258, 265 (Published by AMG Publishers). This volume is out of print, but you can still access the sermon and other sermons through The Spurgeon Library.
A Pilgrims Coffer has also undertaken the task of bringing back into print the complete 63-volume set of Charles Spurgeon’s Pulpit. You can purchase the volumes at each pre-printing here.
*photo taken from netivyah.org
Unrolling the Scroll, Book 4, Parsha Chukat: First Fruits of Zion
Casey D. Bell 
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