WICKEDNESS AMONG GOD’S PEOPLE: A TERRIBLE REALITY

TEXT NUMBERS 21
Main Truth: The joy of life, most of the time, is based on what is happening in our midst: Worship gives us a favorable experience but wickedness is a terrible experience.

Num 21:1 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. 4 They traveled 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 desert? 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, he lived. NIV

INTRODUCTION:
Wickedness is terrible but it is even more terrible when it is found among God’s people. This is a sad reality. It does happen and the consequences are often far too devastating for most people to handle. Wickedness as a way of life is very costly.

I THE WICKEDNESS AMONG GOD’S PEOPLE IS REVEALED BY ITS SIGNS:
1. INGRATITUDE. Verse 5: they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!" The manna became an object of complaint when the Manna was given because of their need. The Manna was a visible and undeniable proof of God’s concern for them but they were no longer grateful. Are we always grateful for what God has given us?

2. IMPATIENCE – Verse 4: They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way the way. Impatience is really arrogance and refusal to trust God and His timing. Impatience is not only I CAN’T WAIT. It is also : DON’T MAKE ME WAIT! around Edom would be a longer way. Before this, they tried to go through Edom

3. INSOLENCE- Verse 5: they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!" The became disrespectful to the point of becoming insulting. They were insulting God for their perception about the quality of the manna. They were insulting Moses for the difficulties they encountered along the way.

Note: When wickedness comes in, ingratitude is often the first sign. But, it does not stop with ingratitude. Ingratitude gives birth to impatience and impatience gives birth to insolence.

II THE WICKEDNESS AMONG GOD’S PEOPLE GENERATES A DIFFICULT CONSEQUENCE.

In the case of the Israelites, two consequences, linked with each other, took place. Both are difficult to handle:

1. SNAKE BITE- Verse 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, he lived.
2. DEATH FROM SNAKE BITE: When simple words of counsel would no longer work for us, the only remaining corrective instrument is pain or death. The pain is the kind that we can hardly cope with. This is the pain that cripples, the pain that forces us to admit that there is nothing we can do about it.


III THE WICKEDNESS AMONG GOD’S PEOPLE IS OFTEN COSTLY IN ITS SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM EFFECTS .
We are told that the people repented and Moses interceded for them. The people were forced to deal with their arrogance because the only for them to be spared from death is to again trust God’s Word. He says look at the snake. Does not seem to be too much and it seems a powerless method but that is the point of humility and trust. Trust God because He is the one giving the instruction. The bite of death was defeated with the look of faith. When bitten by the snake, all they had to do was look at the bronze snake believing that it was God’s answer to them and they got healed.

They looked at the snake and live, but some consequences were not removed.
1. The short-term effect is pain and death.
2. The long-term effect is the pain of those whose loved ones died because of the snake bite. Their families would never be complete again. Even when correction is effected, wickedness, often, has a lingering effect. The people who got bitten lived but the death has already invaded many families. Some losses cannot be recovered anymore.