LOOK AND LIVE

Numbers 21:9 “So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.”

British author Peter Mayle wrote about rich people in his book Acquired Tastes. He says they complain a lot and are rarely happy. The reason they complain so much is that, with their money, they figure they should get the best of everything…and so they become hyper-critical when the least little thing isn’t perfect. Those of us who aren’t "rolling in dough" don’t sweat the small inconveniences of life. But rich or poor, we all struggle with being satisfied and content with our lives.

If we’re truly committed to the Lord, we will accept his will and go where he leads us. If that means hardship in the wilderness, we face tomorrow with confidence that he will help us through every obstacle. Our lives may be challenging, but they have purpose and direction when we walk with the Lord. We find in our scripture that by rejecting God’s leadership and provision, the Israelites were opposing the very one who was sustaining them.

God’s chastening came swiftly, in the form of venomous snakes. God’s people had rejected the way of life and health, so they encountered suffering and death, the "wages of sin." Does this mean we should never complain to God? The book of Psalms is filled with complaints, and God is throughout Scripture described as full of patience and mercy. He wants us to be honest in our prayers.

So what happened here? This was not merely grumbling-it was open rebellion against God and Moses, their appointed leader. God wanted to give them, and us, an example of what can happen if we refuse to be people of praise. The people quickly turned from their grumbling. The snakes helped them see the logic of submitting to God and admitting their sin. Moses was pretty fed up with their attitude and tired of their complaining, yet he prayed in their behalf. He was willing to stand in the gap for his people. Moses prayed and God answered in an unexpected manner. Instead of simply removing the snakes and healing the people who’d been bitten, God instructed Moses to make a serpent of brass and place it on a pole where the people could see it. If those who had been bitten looked at this brass serpent, they would be instantly healed.

But why would Moses be told to make a model of a snake, the very creature that was causing the people to die? Because on the cross, Jesus became sin for us-our sins were put on him, and he suffered our punishment, taking our place. Moses didn’t place the bronze serpent in the Tabernacle, but displayed it publicly, and in the same way Jesus was publicly executed for our sins, in a way everyone could see. No one can look to Christ for us. We must individually respond to God’s provision. Just as the uplifted serpent was the only cure in the wilderness, so Jesus is our only remedy for sin. The sole salvation offered is what God graciously provides. It is a gift. If we reject it, we die.

A look brings life. Jesus declared in John’s Gospel, "When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to Myself" (12:32). It was Moses’ business to set the bronze serpent on a pole; it is your business and mine to lift up the Gospel of Jesus Christ, so that all may see it and live.