The old adage “Uz An’t evr gonna teach a nu daug nu triks” is so very true. But for the truth be told my Heavenly Father because of The Works of His Son, My Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, with the needed help and reliance upon the Holy Spirit, I did learn something new today. And that amazingly, flabbergasts and stupefies me with complete and utter perplexing dumbfounding awe. Now that is a mouthful!!
I never figured this out before, I never came to this conclusion, and just never was able to add one plus one equals the obvious solution of understanding.
During the time that the Israelite group were on their trek to the “Promised Land” they were being not such nice people and were in fact very much rebellious and childish. Well God being the Sovereign and Wise Deity He is, Created the perfect plan.
The Israelite people were lead by God into an area that was inhabited by a profound number of deadly snakes. Many were bitten by these serpents and died. God told Moses to make a bronze statue of a serpent, and place this figure on his staff (most likely the same staff that he used with Pharaoh) and to place the man made snake replica on his staff in the middle of the multitude gathered. Moses was told by God that whoever looked at the serpent on a stick and believed would not die from the bite, but would live. And many did just that—they BELIEVED. They put their Faith completely on the WORDS Of GOD. Not on Moses words, Not on the metal snake on a stick. Not on an Idol. Not on Scientific Empirical Data, or Proven Time Tested Facts borne out over countless centuries and people. They made a choice based on Faith. They were rebellious because that is what comes naturally to us. They chose God’s Words as Truth, They lived because they believed God.
Move forward at a fastpass and we look in on a conversation that Nicodemus has one night with Jesus. Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born again. Nicodemus is tutored by Jesus and it becomes apparent that the lesson is learned by the Rabbi. Jesus was not referring to a physical birth, rather a spiritual birth, and then an added dimension that is completely familiar to Nicodemus. When where, how, why regarding the Faith of Nicodemus is left to some speculation. But He was given enough teaching at the mouth of Jesus to bring about a rebirth on a spiritual level. How he combined the century’s old story of Moses and the Serpent “Idol” with his lesson with Jesus must have been interesting to lead to a born again Nicodemus. Based on The Words of Jesus, The Words of God Centuries ago, and The works of the Holy Spirit.
Did Nicodemus and Paul ever swap conversion stories?
