28 June 2025
Youth Worship 28th June 2025 : Make a fiery serpent
Youth Worship 28th June 2025 : Make a fiery serpent
Text: Numbers 21:1-9
- Speaker:
- Pastor Charles Tan
- Series:
- Focus on Faith – Numbers
Message Notes
YOUTH WORSHIP 28 June 2025
Text: Numbers 21:1-9
Title: “Make a fiery serpent”
1 The king of Arad, the Canaanite, who dwelt in the South, heard that Israel was coming on the road to Atharim. Then he fought against Israel and took some of them prisoners.
2 So Israel made a vow to the LORD, and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.”
3 And the LORD listened to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites, and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. So the name of that place was called Hormah.
4 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way.
5 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.”
6 So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.
7 Therefore 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.” So Moses prayed for the people.
8 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.”
9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
Numbers 21:1-9
INTRODUCTION
1. The children of Israel were met with strong resistance
a) Edom refused the children of Israel access to their land Numbers 20
b) The king of Arad, a Canaanite also resisted the children of Israel
2. The battle with the king of Arad
a) Arad attacked Israel and took Israelite prisoners
b) Israel’s vow to God
i) “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand”
ii) “Then I will utterly destroy their cities”
c) God’s response
i) And the Lord listened to the voice of Israel
ii) And delivered up the Canaanites
iii) And they utterly destroyed them and their cities
iv) So the name of that place was called Hormah
GREAT DISCOURAGEMENT
Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way.
Numbers 21:4
1. Journey from Mount Hor
2. By way of the Red Sea
a) Because Edom had refused to give permission to step into their land
b) It was a longer route
3. The soul of the people became very discouraged
a) War
b) Weariness
SPEAKING AGAINST GOD AND MOSES
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.”
Numbers 21:5
1. Speaking against
a) God
b) Moses
2. Confrontational questions
a) “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?”
i) An old issue – The Exodus from Egypt
ii) Another old issue – Death in the wilderness
b) “For there is no food and no water”
i) Not true
ii) God had given them water from the rock
c) “And our soul loathes this worthless bread”
i) The manna from God was despised as “worthless”
ii) Loathing of manna was clearly articulated
GOD’S RESPONSE
So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.
Numbers 21:6
1. Fiery serpents were sent by God
2. They bit the people and many people died from snake bite
3. This was unusual and most frightening
THE DESPERATE PLEA OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL
Therefore 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.” So Moses prayed for the people.
Numbers 21:7
1. Confession of sin was made
a) We have sinned
b) We have spoken against the Lord
c) And against you
2. Seeking Moses’ help to pray to God
a) Pray to the Lord
b) That He would take the serpents away
3. Moses harkened
a) He prayed to the Lord
b) God would indeed hear his prayer
GOD’S WORD TO MOSES
8 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.”
9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
Numbers 21:8-9