Sip Saturday

Week #37 Hebrews 3:5

**Sip Saturday is written by our Saturday morning contributor, M.H. Elrich. A beautifully gifted Christian author who seeks to honor the Trinity in her writing. She hopes that her words will encourage women to draw closer to God, whether that is through her fantasy series or her weekly devotionals.

Cornerstone Scripture:

“And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after.”

-Hebrews 3:5 KJV

A cough rattles your bones. Your little ones sleep uneasily, their chests rising and falling with ragged breaths. You wish you could sleep, but the pain keeps you awake. An infectious bite stings and burns. The source of the bite?

A snake.

Cursed creatures. Wasn’t it enough that the snake deceived Eve in the garden? Why would Yahweh send such creatures to attack you and your family?

You know why, but you scarcely want to admit it.

Admitting it would mean confessing your guilt.

Your idolatry. Your complaints. Your secret sins that you wish could remain hidden from His ever-present sight.

You hear a voice.

“Look at the serpent and you will live!”

The last thing you want to do is look at another snake. Those despicable creatures are why you’re in this mess! No, a sinister voice whispers, it’s Yahweh’s fault, not yours! A cough disrupts your negative thinking, and your youngest child stirs.

“Mama,” she says. “It hurts.”

Tears spring into your eyes, and your heart breaks. Enough, you tell your heart and the sinister voice. It is more than time that I confess.

Gathering your youngest in your arms, you wake the other children and tell them what you’re doing. You make the slow, arduous walk to look at the bronze serpent.

On your knees, you confess your sins and pray for mercy from Yahweh, the one true God. Looking at the bronze serpent on the pole, you can’t help but feel a stirring, a foreshadowing of what is to come.

What may that be?

Jesus.

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

-John 3:14-15 KJV

This is exactly what the author of Hebrews is trying to convey. Moses was a precursor, a testifier of what was to come. The incident with the serpents, found in Numbers 21:4-9, was just one of many symbols of what would happen hundreds of years later. Moses and the Israelites would only see glimpses of this future.

One such glimpse was the intense preparations for the tabernacle that helped them realize they needed a high priest to intervene on behalf of their sin. Another was the use of a Passover Lamb to save them from death. Even the parting of the Red Sea could be seen as a testament of how God has to pave the way for us to come to Him. Moses was faithful to God as a servant, and he testified of Jesus’ coming.

Now that Jesus has come, died for our sins, and rose from the grave, what is our next step? Of course, the first is to believe in Him and follow Him as Lord. But what if we have done those things? What then?

This verse asks us to be the Moses of our generation. We are to testify how the Lord has been at work with our lives, and how he will be here soon. We are called to evangelize, not by preaching on the street corner (although God bless you if you feel called to do so!), but by reaching our neighbors, our coworkers, and those around us. You may not know what to say, or be unconfident, like Moses with his stammer. My answer to you is this: ask the Holy Spirit to give you the words, and then speak. You may be astonished at what you say, but I think I know what it may sound like.

“Look at Jesus and live.”

Let’s pray.

Dear Lord, help me to be a testament of what you’ve done for me. Give me the courage to stand up and speak about you to others, and provide the words that I should say. I look to you for the answers. In Your Son’s Name, Amen.