Category: Newsletter

Introduction

In the book of Numbers, Moses was instructed to raise a brazen serpent on a tree. In this essay, the significance of this act is discussed.

The Brazen Serpent

The people of Israel complained about their long journey through the wilderness to the promised land, and they spoke against God and Moses. The anger of God was, therefore, kindled against them (Num 21:1-5). Because of this,

“The LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived” (Num 21:6-9).

It was only those individuals who looked unto the brazen serpent in faith that got healed. This image that was lifted up by Moses was not to be a permanent object of worship. It was to bring temporal deliverance to those who looked at it in faith. But the Israelites decided to worship it until it was destroyed by Hezekiah (2Ki 18:4). Therefore, it is only the lifted Christ who brings eternal salvation to mankind ought to be worshipped eternally, as detailed below.

The Crucified Christ

Jesus applies the above scripture to himself. This is evidenced in His words in the passage that reads:

“And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And 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 eternal life” (Joh 3:13-15).

Moses did not explicitly write that the Christ would go through this mode of suffering and death on the cross, but it looked into the future redemption of humankind. It has been established that salvation is not found in any object, creed, religion or person (Acts 4:4) but it is obtained only by grace through faith in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:8). It must be stated that Christ Jesus is not an alternative way to heaven, but the only way to heaven (Joh 14:6). Every individual who desires to be saved must look unto Christ Jesus (Isa 45:22).

Conclusion

The Book of Moses is a shadow of that which was to come to save the world from sin and death, but the reality is Christ. The brazen serpent was only a shadow of Christ who has brought complete freedom to those who believe in Him. Thus, all people need to look up to Jesus Christ in faith to be saved.

Prayer: May the Lord God favor all of us and help us to come to His saving knowledge. In the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord. AMEN!

Introduction

The concept of Sabbath and how it relates to the incarnation of Christ Jesus, the Messiah, is discussed. The conception of Sabbath in this piece of writing is taken from the books of Moses and Pauline Epistles.

Sabbath of Rest

“But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it, thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates” (Exo 20:10).

The law on Sabbath rests on the premise that God ended His work on the seventh day so He rested on that day. God blessed this day and sanctified it because he rested from all His works (Gen 2:2-3). Men, therefore, were charged to observe the seventh day as a holy day and a Sabbath of rest to the Lord. This Sabbath of rest was not intended to be observed forever. It looked forward to the coming of God. It is against this background that Paul writes that:

“Let no man, therefore, judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holiday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ” (Col 2:16-17).

The strict observance of the Saturday Sabbath of rest was to end with the coming of Christ. It was only a shadow of Christ. People could, therefore, worship God on any day of their choice without any condemnation. According to Paul:

“One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth, not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. ..” (Rom 14:5-6).

Paul explains that as many of us that have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior have entered into the Sabbath rest of God (Heb 4:3-4). It is said that the people who were first promised the seventh-day rest never entered into the complete rest because Joshua could not give them that rest. Therefore, it still remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, because those who have the rest of God have ceased from all their works as God did on the seventh day (Heb 4:5-10).

Conclusion

Sabbath is not just a day or event to be observed but the celebration of a lifetime freedom realized through faith in Christ. People who have truly accepted Christ as their savior have ceased from their own works, and have entered into the Sabbath rest of God. So, in Christ, whether a believer would celebrate the Sabbath or not is insignificant in our Christian faith.

Prayer: God, we ask of you to continue to enlighten us as we study your Word. In Jesus’ name. AMEN!