When Sin Bites You: Numbers 21:4-9

Have you ever been bitten by your sin. Maybe the bite was from consequences that resulted from your sin. Or maybe guilt was the bite or brokenness. Nevertheless, whatever the bite, the bite hurt. Sin may look good on the outside, but when sin gives birth to consequences it hurts. Maybe that is why so many people in the world today live a defeated, discouraged, despised, and depressed life. Their life is one big sin pool with sinful consequences and feelings. Maybe it was from a broken relationship or marriage. Maybe it was rocked by a suicide in the family or a family member addicted to drugs. Maybe it was a horrendous experience of rape or abuse growing up and they cannot move on. It could have been the bankruptcy they had to file. Many people have been bitten by sin; even me and even you. Sometimes it is brought on by others, but many times we bring it on our own.

Here in Numbers 21 Israel, brought the bite of sin all on their own. It seems like they never learned their lesson. They rise up again and begin to complain to Moses and ask him why he and God has brought them all the way out here just to die. Israel even told Moses they loathed the worthless food that God had been feeding them with. I guess you could say they did not like their living arrangements. But again, they living arrangements and their food were all their fault to begin with. After venting against Moses and God, God sent fiery serpents to bite the people. These were no ordinary snakes, these were extremely poisonous snakes. So, everyone who was bitten would die.

When the people started to witness the result of their sinful behavior and attitude, their demeanor changed very quickly. Verse 7 says, "And the people came to Moses and said, 'We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.'" They didn't like the bite of sin. Sure they probably, during their tirade, thought they were a democracy and felt good to let out their anger and resentment towards God and Moses. But, now it is a completely different picture. They are sorry and repentful that they had their little outburst. Usually this is how it is when we can see where we erred and where we were in the wrong. We become sorry that we ever did what we did. Sure, it may have felt good during the act, but we don't like what it has turned into.

Look at what happens when Moses prays for the people. God comes down and tells Moses to erect a fiery serpent and set it on a pole (this is where we get our graphic that is on the side of an ambulance.) God gives them the orders that when they are bitten, if they look to the fiery serpent, even though they have been bitten, yet they will live. This was their cure. Their healing would come from the faith that they would display by looking to the pole with the serpent that God had commanded them to erect.

By looking at the pole with the serpent, they would be reminded to two things. First, they would be reminded about what their sin cost them and how God hates sin. They would understand the ugliness of sin. Second, they would grasp the grace of God. God did not leave them to the consequences of their sin, which He could have and would have had every right. However, God chose to show grace to a sinful people.

So, what do we do when sin bites us? It can bite us physically, emotionally, relationally, professionally, personally, or spiritually. We need to look to Jesus. Jesus, was and is still the Savior of the world, who died for the sins of the world. He was the sinless sacrifice that hung on the cross, so that anyone who has been bitten by sin, could look to Him and live. As Isaiah says, "But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed."

So let us learn from the children of Israel. Sin bites! But let us also remember the grace of God, that it can heal the sting and bite and poison of sin. Grace, Grace God's Grace, Grace that is GREATER than all our sin!