There will never be ads and we don't ask for money. We simply tell stories and try to be funny.
We explore things you know, and some things you don't. We try to be positive, go negative we won't.
Stories read here or stories read there. Stories so truthful, there's never a care.
Stories that encourage, enlighten and engage.
Stories about life from the past AND our age.
A perfect example is today's story of old, introduced by a song from a record gone gold.
(In fact, it's gone platinum, but we struggle to rhyme, we promise to do so much better next time!)
Today is a Tuesday, there's so much at stake, let's get it all started, make sure you're awake...
Peaking at #3 on Billboard's Hot 100 and #43 overall for 1984 is today's featured song from Duran Duran. It was the first single released from the Seven and the Ragged Tiger album and the ninth overall single for the band. It was one of 10 top ten singles for the band whose most recent release, their 15th, has been announced to be coming in 2021 and will feature the current 4 member line-up of Simon LeBon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, and Roger Taylor (not related), all of whom have been members of the band since the height of their popularity.
"Union of the Snake" was released during the zenith of the band who were heavy in the rotation at MTV. It was one of the first of many videos by the band to feature eclectic costuming, makeup, and sets. The video also caused a bit of controversy in the fact that the unique "story" video for "Union of the Snake" was sent to MTV and other music video outlets a full week before its release as a single to radio and retail, causing radio stations around the world to panic as they envisioned the prophecy of "Video Killed the Radio Star" (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Video Killed the Radio Star" (The Buggles)) coming to fruition. Proving once again, that anything that has to do with a snake, usually ends up with a reputation of some sort.
As we have been following the Bible chronologically, we come to one of the most strange stories included in the Old Testament. We catch up with the Israelites approximately 38 years after the spy incident (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Spies Like Us" (Paul McCartney)). As God promised, an entire generation of the people had died because they had not taken the land when God told them. While the previous generation may have died out, their stubbornness and predilection towards sin did not. Anyone hearing a hissing sound???
It seems that nearly every time there is a victory over their enemies, the Israelites very quickly blow the opportunity for the celebration by their disobedience. (Mirror moment for me...how about you?) They are beginning the entry into the promised land and go to battle with the inhabitants of the land, the Caananites. The Bible says that they "utterly destroyed" this nation and journeyed on. They had been previously told by their distant relatives the Edomites (descendants of Esau, Jacob's (Israel's) brother) that they could not pass through the land of Edom, so they ventured around and grew impatient at how long it was taking them on their journey. One would think that after having been in the wilderness for 38 years a couple more years would be a cinch, but remember the pattern and habits of insolence and arrogance that these folks have had since they departed Egypt. It seems as though they just won't learn the lessons God is trying to teach them. (Mirror moment 2.0)
The Israelites were done with the manna, they were done with traveling, they were done with Moses and most importantly, they were done with God. (Ooops. Mirror moment trifecta!) . The same God who heard, saw, and accepted the sacrifices the Israelites made also heard, felt, and was angered by their complaints. And once again, their complaints were on the climb, moving up, it's gonna race through the borderline. "We would have been better off in Egypt!!!" Ummm, how would these folks know what Egypt was like? Most of the "slaves" had died off. This generation began repeating what they had only heard from their ancestors proving again that the nostalgia of their past is always better than the reality of their past.
Once again, God is angry. The Bible says nothing about Moses getting the opportunity to intercede for them this time. It seems that almost before their complaints were finished, a slithering, fiery group of serpents came and started biting the folks. Many more people died. And then reality kicked back in. The rest of the Israelites went to Moses, admitted their sin, and begged for the union of the snakes to stop. Moses intercedes. This time God commands that Moses make a bronze serpent and put it on a pole. He told Moses to have the people look at the serpent. Those who did would be healed from their snake bite.
So...God had Moses make a figure out of bronze that would heal people? One may ask, what is the difference between this bronze snake and the golden calf? Aren't they both idols made from the hands of man? The simple answer is yes. And the opportunity for idolatry from this snake on a stake comes into play later on in Israel's story. Here's the difference. The golden calf was a man-made object that was intended as a substitute for God. (Despite what Aaron said...Uh...I just tossed their stuff in and out came this calf...moo) But in the case of the bronze serpent, the object is a source of healing that God commanded to be made. It was meant to be a reminder of man's sin and God's redemption from that sin. In fact, many Bible scholars have posited that the bronze serpent hanging from a staff was emblematic of Jesus' victory over Satan's shenanigans in the garden. Here's an article that embellishes that point:
There are many sites to see if you journey to the Holy Land. One of those is Mt. Nebo where sits a sculpture commemorating God's redemption of the Israelites in this story and Jesus' redemption of all mankind.
Interestingly, in His conversation with the Pharisee (religious rulers of the time), Nicodemus, Jesus even referenced the bronze serpent incident and the similarity that His life would have to that event. Jesus' conversation regarding the events of Numbers 21 comes right before the most often quoted passage of Scripture ever recorded, John 3:16. Nicodemus would have been very familiar with the passage of Scripture and the healing aspects that would be apart of that narrative. Thus solidifying Jesus' message regarding the new birth and how much God loved the world.
Just like the Israelites suffered from a fiery serpentine invasion, we succumb to the union of the snake of our sins. Just like God provided a way of healing and escape from certain death to the Israelites, He provides a way of escape for us through Jesus.
Jesus was born to a virgin. Lived a similar life to you and I, except He never sinned, He was perfect. He began teaching about the Kingdom of God being fulfilled through Himself. This drew the ire of the "religious" folks of His time. He healed the sick. He caused the blind to see, the lame to walk, and the leper to become whole. He loved everyone He encountered without condition. Because of this love for those of the past, His contemporaries, and those of the future, including you and I, Jesus became the sacrifice to God for the sin of all men. No more did Israelites or anyone else have to shed the blood of animals to appease God. The ultimate sacrifice was given by Jesus laying down His life. He did this because He wants a relationship with everyone forever. He was falsely accused by the religiosity of His time and was convicted of the crime of blasphemy against God. He was sentenced to die via crucifixion, the most inhumane form of capital punishment ever invented. His body was taken down from the cross and placed in a tomb on loan from one of His disciples on Friday. However, on Sunday, when His mother and other ladies were going to attend to the final death preparations, His tomb was found empty. He was alive and seen by many people in the days that followed. He ascended to heaven in the sight of His disciples where He promised to intercede for you and me, just like Moses did constantly for the Israelites, until our time to enter eternity comes.
We have an opportunity to spend that eternity with Him. The One who loves us without condition. But just like the Israelites, we must first gaze at His cross. Not a casual glance, but a deep, soul-penetrating, life-altering look at a tortured body given on our behalf.
Our response to that look? We must confess that we do wrong (remember those mirror moments?) and break through the borderline of our sin (repent, turn away from the wrong in our lives). We must accept that He did this for us to resume and restore a relationship that He began in the garden. We must believe that He is God. We must love Him and everyone else. We must go about telling everyone we know the Good News that Jesus lives and how his living has impacted our lives. Today is the day for you to break through the borderline of your doubt and sin and accept Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is waiting to forgive you.
There you go, friends! We're glad you stopped by!
'Tis time to go now! We gave it a try!
We've come to the end, and that is our take!
We learned much together from the snake on a stake!
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving You,
randy
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