In the readings for Tues. April 8th.......How is this different from the people worshiping idols? would this not encourage them to turn to "man made" items to expect good things to happen?

in the readings for Tues. April 8th.......
 
        "We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you.
         Pray the LORD to take the serpents away from us."
         So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to
         Moses,"Make a seraph and mount it on a pole, 
         and whoever looks at it after being bitten will live." 
         Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted
         it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been
         bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent,
         he lived.........
              
How is this different from the people worshiping idols?  Would this not  encourage them to turn to "man made" items to expect good things to happen?
 
Good question! 
 
First, when reading a story from the Bible we have to remember the context.  In this story - you can find it in Numbers 21:4-9.  The Israelites had begun to grumble and complain against God.  They had begun wagging their tongues in an evil way - so to speak. 
So, God sent them a horrible punishment which reminded them of what they were doing.  He sent a creature which wagged its tongue and bit the people.  And they died. 
 
Another thing we have to remember when reading from the Bible is "what message are we to get from this story?"   Looking at this we have people dying spiritually because they are grumbling against God by the use of their tongues.  So God sends them what they are and they physically die. 
 
 
So, the people realized that they had sinned.  God's message was received loudly and clearly!  They went to Moses and told him of their sin.  They then asked Moses to pray to the LORD to take the serpents away.  Moses did.  God instructed him to do something which was totally inadequate - humanly speaking - to heal people of a deadly bite.  This was to demonstrate His power.  God alone could heal the bite.  
 
Again, the people would have realized the message God sent in this manner. 
 
So, just to reiterate what I said, hopefully a little more clearly, The 2nd commandment forbidding the worship of idols, and false gods is not the issue here.  God had the people make images before:  We saw that in the directions for making the Ark of the Covenant - Angels were to be imaged on it.  We see it in the veil/material walls of the tent/Tabernacle - images of creatures. 

The images made in the ancient times which were honored as gods were thought to be an actual revelation of the god.  That's why people took their offerings to the image.  

In those situations which God asked for images to be made - including this one, this is not the case.  The people did not think the serpent on the stick was God or even God-like.  And they didn't make offerings to it.  They were showing that they were turning back TO God by obediently following His instructions.

A couple of notes of interest:  This story has been seen as a foreshadowing of Jesus.  Look at the image upon that pole (tree) and you will live. ... Look upon the Cross and you will live ... Look being used as 'point your life in the direction of the Cross.'

And:  Even today we have a serpent on a pole (or two serpents) as the symbol of medicine.  We call it a Cadeceus (pronounced Ka-doo-suss).


      www.walkinggospel.com                                                                        http://pharmakon.me