Exodus 7:8-12 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
9 When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then
thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it
shall become a serpent. 10 And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and
they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before
Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh
also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they
also did in like manner with their enchantments. 12 For they cast down every
man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their
rods.
Truly God's ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts
(Isaiah 55:8) but the first miracle against Pharaoh seems
rather strange when you think about it. Now I realize that many will refer
to the fact that within the pantheon of gods the Egyptians worshipped were
at least two snake gods. The idea is that the rod of Aaron turned snake
devouring the rods of the magicians turned snakes showed the power of God
over their magic. It all sound plausible and good and is also true, but I
think there is also a great prophecy hidden in the picture we are given.
Think with me a minute and let's run a few verses: John 3:14-15 And
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of
man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have eternal life.You say: "What has that to do with snakes
swallowing snakes?" Well, slow down a minute and we'll get there. What do
the verses above reference to?
Numbers 21:5-9 And the people spake against God, and against Moses,
Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for
there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this
light bread. 6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they
bit the people; and much 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 thee; pray unto the
LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the
people. 8 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. 9 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.
The people had sinned against God and God sent the poisonous serpents among
them to kill them. All that were bit were going to die. Kind of like "the
wages of sin is death"(Rom. 6:23) isn't it? The sin of these folks was
killing them just as our sin has placed the death sentence on us. Right? Ok,
now what did these folks have to do to live? They had to look on a
representation of what was killing them, right? What was killing them was a
serpent and what they had to look upon to have victory over death was a
serpent.
Next we will look at an all important verse to unravel this riddle.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Question? Who personifies sin? If I were to ask you who, in your mind was
the most wicked evil being who was ever created, who would you name? Satan
right? Ok now when you think of Satan what do you see? A serpent? Well
that's what he was in the garden of Eden. That's what he is in
Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called
the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into
the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Did you know that Satan is a defeated foe as well as his angels?
Do you know when he was defeated? Look back to the references I gave early
with Jesus lifted up as the image of the serpent that Moses lifted up. Think
with me again. If Jesus was made to be sin for us when did that take place?
Was it not when He was hung on Calvary's cross and died that we might live?
Was it not when he was hung on a "pole"?
That serpent that ate those other serpents before Pharaoh was a picture of
the defeat of the serpent by Jesus becoming on the cross what had to be
killed (look at 2 Cor. 5:21 again). Yes, as ugly a picture as it is that is
what our wonderful Saviour did for us. He became the very epitome of sin on
the cross (serpent on the pole) so that sin could be put to death. This was
ultimate defeat of Satan because it broke the power he had to cause people
to go to hell. It was what made the way to break the kinship man had with
satan as children of the devil (Jn. 8:44). We who have
renounced him and embraced Jesus are children of God and not of the devil
anymore.
Yes, the picture God painted for us with Moses and Aaron standing before
Pharaoh that day was a picture of something even Satan could not fathom. God
was going to robe himself in sin (become as a serpent) and be put to death
in order to destroy the serpent Satan. Jesus was transformed on the cross
just as the rod was transformed. In doing so "Death (notice the
capital D, see also Rev. 6:8) is swallowed up in victory" (1 Cor.
15:54).
What a marvelous God we serve!
This Bible study presented by Brother Hillbilly
Poetry Corner
Victory
Whispers travel on a timeless breeze
and music is heard among all of the trees.
Seasons change, bringing songs our way
Recapturing the glory of yesterday.
Chains are broken; we've been set free.
Love paved a path called Victory.
Fears and sorrows lay buried in the past
Faith and hope will eternally last.
Feeling the warmth from the golden sun,
Draws our focus to the center of One.
One that willingly paid our price,
The One we will meet in paradise.
Julie Pisacane © 2006 Poetry
1 John 5:4
For whatsoever is born of God
overcometh the world:
and this is the victory that overcometh
the world, even our faith.
Brought to you by Pages of My Heart Ministry at 9/19/2007