"Our job, before doing anything, is to pray with and for the people. I wonder what it must have felt like to be Moses. Moses was also running from bondage to freedom. Moses was also susceptible to serpent bites. But he displays a certain level of calm in this passage. Moses doesn’t try to rush the people through their pain or reduce their concerns. He simply goes to God on their behalf."

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Numbers 21:4-9

From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.” Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lordsaid to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

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This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Dustin Pickett, the Associate Minister of Stewardship & Development at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat, the Associate Minister of Digital Strategy and Online Engagement at The Riverside Church.

Find out more at www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo.

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Time for work.

Find out more at trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo

(HT: @dustinjpickett)


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Listen. Pray. Act.

Be Still and Go: Meditations for the Movement
trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo