138 Fiery Snakes (Num 21)

I am not one who indulges in desserts.
I have a teeny tiny sweet tooth stuck right at the back of my mouth.
It stays pretty quiet.
Which is fine.
Occasionally if the mood strikes I'll eat some chocolate.
The mood rarely strikes.
Chocolate can last me weeks. If I can hide it from the family.
But I'm more a lollies type of guy.
In fact I'm more a chips type of guy.
Savoury rocks!
It took Donna a while to get used to me not having dessert.
She likes them.
Heaps.
She also cooks them.
Quite often in fact.
Superbly so.
So well that sometimes, actually most times, I don't mind going out of my way to eat them.
The point?
Nothing really.
Just a good opportunity to extol the virtues of my cute wife.
The beating I receive now will be worth it.

Numbers 21
Another bumpy start for the Israelites.
God delivers them in battle from the hands of Arad.
Despite this, the complaints continue.

v5 "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food."

Ok, so again the problem isn't "no food".
It's "we don't like what we have" food that's the problem.
That seems to be a recurring theme as well.
Complain about something, but really it's still about looking back with rose-coloured spectacley doovers.
I get the concerns for lack of water.
But how often has God provided already?
Learn something here. PLEASE! (They won't.)
Ask.
Don't whinge.
It would be like walking in the desert with a million 4 year olds.
Cor!!!!

Punishment by fiery snakes.
That would almost be worth complaining about stuff to see.
Were there little fires everywhere?
Getting bitten by a snake must hurt.
How much would it hurt if it was with fangs on fire?
See, God likes detail.
"Why those baby Israelites. Moan moan. Whine whine. I'll show them.
I'll send snakes at 'em. And and lots of 'em.
And I'm so mad I'll make them on fire as well.
And then I'll give Chinese arm burns.
Yeah that'll show 'em."
.................................
"Ok got carried away.
No arm burns.
This time!!!!"

Then we see the redemption of the Israelites.
Those bitten could look to the bronze likeness and be healed.
Mounted on a pole and set up in camp.
Those who wanted to be saved needed to look up. They needed to do something to be made whole.

Now I'm guessing there may have been some Israelites who didn't complain.
Who must have thought they did nothing wrong.
But snakes are no discerners of people.
If you were close, you got bit.
If you got bit, it didn't matter if you complained or not, you died.
Unless you looked up.
That's all.
See the bronze serpent and you lived.

Again the Israelites are refused passage through land.
Despite asking nicely.
Someone must have heard they could get grumpy a bit.