Jubilee
Michael Card Lyrics

They grew tired of bread form heaven
The people lost appreciation for the miraculous sustenance that God provided for them.

And of Moses and of God
They also became disillusioned with their leaders and their faith in God.

They longed to live the life of slavery once again
Their discontentment made them yearn for the familiar lifestyle of oppression they had left behind.

So they muttered and they grumbled
Their unhappiness caused them to express complaints in hushed tones.

And they wimpered and they whined;
They also cried and carried on with a sense of discontentment and lack of gratitude.

With each faithless word, sank deeper into sin
Their negativity and complaints led them further from God and more into sin.

He took the pen of pain once more
God saved them from their despair by allowing them to experience a painful consequence.

To write upon their hearts
This was meant to make a lasting impression on their spirits.

The lesson they had been so slow to learn
God was trying to teach them to trust Him and appreciate the blessings they had.

But writing in the sand, the fiery serpents came to call
As a symbol of their sin, poisonous snakes attacked them despite their temporary repentance.

With a holy message and a bite that burned
There was a purpose for the punishment, to reinforce the message and discipline them.

Lift up the suffering symbol
This is a call to action to present the physical representation of their sin and understand its power.

And place it high upon a pole
Elevate the symbol to be in full view and symbolic of Christ on the cross.

Tell the children to look up and be made whole
This is a message of hope and redemption for those with the faith to acknowledge and believe in the symbol of Christ's suffering on the cross.

So Moses made a metal snake,
The metal snake was the physical embodiment of their sin that led to the punishment of the fiery serpents.

And nailed it to a pole
The snake was displayed and raised so that it was visible to all.

Sent out the saving word so they would know
The display was meant to remind them of the consequences of their sin and the need for salvation.

That the symbol of their suffering was now the focus of their faith
The symbol of their sin becomes the representation of Christ's sacrifice and the ultimate healing focus of their faith.

And with a faithful glance, the healing power would flow
Believing in the symbol and its connection to Christ's sacrifice could bring miraculous healing to those who seek it.

In time the brazen serpent became an idol in the land
Despite its original purpose, the metal snake became an object of worship and a substitute for true faith.

And they left the living God to worship clay
When they focused on the symbol rather than what it represented, they abandoned their faith in a living God for nothing more than a statue of metal.

When they forgot their suffering
When they became complacent and lost sight of their original purpose for the symbolic snake.

Soon true faith had disappeared
When they abandoned their faith, they also abandoned the source of their salvation and the significance of the symbol of the snake.

So some idolize a brazen cross today
The same story could be seen repeating itself today, where the symbol of the cross has become an object of worship rather than a reminder of what it represents and the source of true faith.

Chorus(X4)
The repeated chorus emphasizes the power of the symbol and its connection to healing and faith.

Tell the children to look up and be made whole
The message is directed at the new generation, encouraging them to seek faith and salvation through the symbol of Christ's suffering on the cross.