The Israelites in their lack of faithfulness and their distrust of God spoke out against God, and God got tired of it. There are consequences to any action. In the case of the Israelites, their unfaithfulness prompts God to send venomous snakes that attack and kill many of them.

This is a difficult story to grasp. It is not a comfortable image of God, and yet we can learn a lot from the actions of the Israelites. They turn away from God, and the consequences are painful. However, they also turn back to God, confess their wrongdoing, and ask for forgiveness. God is faithful and responds with a reminder of the life-giving hope that roots our faith.

We are not unlike these ancient Israelites, and often our behavior is like a serpent that harms our world. Our challenge is to learn how to claim our responsibility and work to repair it. Repentance is an aspect of the season of Lent, and this passage invites us to ask what that looks like in our own lives.

In the wilderness we are tempted, but we have an opportunity to turn back to God. This is often a painful process. Recognizing how our actions have harmed others and asking for forgiveness requires humility. However, to live in the world as God intends requires accountability and personal responsibility.

The path to redemption is a hard one, but God does not leave us in the wilderness alone. Healing is possible. Yet we can’t see that possibility unless we are able to turn toward God and lift up our eyes to see the hope of reconciliation and salvation that God offers. When fear threatens us, we look toward the reminders of God’s love that give us life and sustain us in the wilderness.