Numbers 21:5-6 And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.

Israel was beginning her march toward the Promised Land, 40 years after leaving Egypt, 38 of which were spent wandering in order to get Egypt out of Israel. The old generation had mostly died off, as God said they would, after their refusal to enter the Promised Land, believing the bad report of the scouts over the promises of God. Now, they were finally headed in, but Israel again murmured against God, even accusing Him directly and calling His provision of Manna worthless. God sent fiery serpents into the camp and told Moses to erect a serpent on a pole in the midst of Israel, and if a bit Israelite turned to look at the symbol, they would not die. The snake on the pole was a symbol of Jesus, turning to look, a symbol of repentance and being healed so that one may live, a picture of salvation. The serpent is associated with sin in the Bible, and bronze with judgment, just as Jesus paid the penalty for our sin on the cross.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

This plague of fiery serpents was a wake up call for this new generation that were to enter into the promised land. While all of Israel suffered because of their complaining against God, it was individuals within Israel who were being bit. Each snake and each bite was a divine experience sent into their lives, to cause them to turn and look to Christ. In this way, these snakes are symbolic of those things that God allows in our lives … wake up calls. God does allow, and at times even send things into our lives that are meant to get our attention and cause us to turn around and seek Him. Through divinely allowed difficulty, the Father may say to us, “Don’t keep going in that direction, it leads to destruction. My child, turn around and look to Christ.” What fiery snakes has God allowed in your life? Are you getting the message or are you assuming they are “just a part of life?”

On a larger scale, I believe we see the same thing going on in our nation in order to get our attention. As the people of this nation continue to turn their backs on God in favor of the desires of the heart, I think we we will continue to see God’s hand pulled back from this nation. I think we see it in the weather, in natural disasters, in increasingly horrific crimes, in the economy, in the politics, in the diseases, and in many other ways. Yet, instead of recognizing that we need to go to God in repentance, we turn to science and to man’s knowledge in order to find answers. I wonder how many diseases that we deal with now … diseases that past generations rarely saw … I wonder how many of these diseases would be rendered harmless if this nation would only repent and turn back to God. I wonder how many people perish these days because this nation not only turns her back on God but openly accuses Him. I wonder how many people are eaten alive by the poison of sin because they call God’s provision worthless? What would change in this nation, if the people would repent and turn to God? I have nor doubt that this nation can be great again, if we would all repent and turn to look upon Jesus. I think God is trying to get the attention of the United States of America. The snakes are here and they are biting. Will this nation turn and look to Jesus, or will it refuse and perish?