We were just talking about this at Bible study, last night, and it was part of the sermon, this past Sunday. (Two different churches, two different leaders) This snake is rather interesting; it was built to help Israel overcome the plague of "firey snakes" that God had allowed in response to their grumbling and complaining. God had provided food, better tasting water, even more food, and Israel was miserable. They had complained against Moses AND against God. God's patience is supernatural, but He does allow it to run out from time to time. God allowed the snakes and then told Moses to make this bronze snake, which could easily be mistaken for an idol. God did not remove the snakes, and by creating the bronze snake, He gave the people a choice, to look at the snake or not, to believe in it or not, and He allowed them to be responsible for their own outcome, through their belief or lack thereof. We have so much we can learn from this, through Christ:
-God does not remove the temptations of this world, unless they become more than someone can endure. We can ask Him to remember His promise not to allow more temptation than we can bear. (1 Cor. 10:13)
-We have a choice, to believe or not; to live or not. There is only One way. The people of Israel had to look at the snake.
- They had a responsibility, a part to play in the outcome, but they also had to rely on God to heal them when they looked at the snake.
-They had to take their eyes off of their problems and each others' problems. Looking at anything else wasn't going to help them. They had to focus on the One on the pole. Israel then goes from being saved and healed by looking at the snake to actually worshiping it. We can get distracted from the One Who saves us and there's usually undesirable consequences.
I believe many things are worshiped in our society - food, family, entertainment, jobs, money, nature, technology, ... If we live to please God, we must be aware of what we devote our attention to. This does not mean that we are careless with our obligations and responsibilities. This means that it is possible to please God bu using our resources wisely and caring for one another.