Numbers 21:4-9

How is your faith today?

Dear KY family,
I’ve been meditating on a familiar passage from the Old Testament Numbers 21:4-9,
They travelled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go round Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!’ Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 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. 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.’ 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, they lived.

Faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Heb 11:1)

This story is the last of five “murmuring” stories in the book of Numbers. From the beginning of their journey through the desert, the Israelites grumbled and complained about their struggles, suffering and difficulties over and over. And finally the complaints come to a climax in this account.
I have a few observations to share over the next few Pastor’s Heart editions. But today, I want to talk about faith.
“Faith” in the Old Testament is more often understood as “trust” rather than “belief”. Moses did not challenge the people to believe a certain doctrine about God. Rather, his aim was to move the people forward in trusting God to bring them into the land that He promised.
It is interesting that just before this episode, God had just given the Israelites victory over the Canaanites. But so quickly, as was the case with the long history of Israel’s relationship with God, they fell back into their untrusting attitude and spoke against God and against Moses. Their most basic problem is that they failed to trust God. It would be pertinent for us to note that in the bible, the most common expression of rebellion against God is faithlessness.
And so, may I gently ask us all individually – How is your faith today? Have you experienced answered prayer recently, or are you trusting God for something that has not yet happened? Faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Heb 11:1). What has the Lord spoken to you recently that you are trusting Him to bring to fulfilment?
I have mentioned in recent times that this is the season for prayer. As Kum Yan Methodist Church, we need to be praying for each other, for our church and for our nation. And so, in this regard, may I also ask you – as we all invest our time in prayer for our church, are we praying as dispassionate unaffected people on behalf of our church, or are we praying and trusting that God hears and loves His church?