BEHOLDING AND LIVING -- Monday:
"And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived."(Numbers 21:9)
God brought Israel "out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand" (Ex 32:11). However, while the people themselves escaped Egypt, it remained in their hearts. After beholding wonders of greater magnitude than anyone before or after them, their hearts remained hard and calloused.
On one occasion, as they journeyed from Mount Hor, around the land of Edom, "the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way." Their discouragement proved to be their undoing, as they spoke "against God and against Moses: Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread" (Num 21:4-5). Well, they were having a hard time of it.
They were traveling about in a barren wilderness, and they were doing so with their entire families--babies and all. They were carrying all of their belongings, and flocks of animals as well. According to what they could see, there was neither food nor water available anywhere. Except for the food God was giving them, and it was a monotonous and unchanging diet of manna–little seeds they had to grind into flour for making bread. Any psychiatrist would say they had reason to complain–but they did not! Men could easily excuse their murmuring, but God could not, and did not.
Of this occasion it is written, "And the LORD sent fiery [poisonous] serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died." What is more, this grievous judgment continued without interruption until the people came to Moses and admitted they had sinned, speaking against both God and Moses. They pleaded, "Pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people." As a faithful intercessor, Moses "prayed for the people."
The Scriptures do not say God took away the serpents from them, although that very well may have been the case. Instead, He directed Moses to make a fiery serpent, and "set it on a pole," so it could be hoisted into the air for all to see. The unequivocal promise was then given, "it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live." Moses did as he was commanded, and "it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived" (21:8-9).
The camp of Israel was very large–in the millions. There was only one brazen serpent. The people had to hear about that serpent, seek it, and look upon it. All of that must have been highly inconvenient.
The Lord Jesus associated this incident with His own death, and the effects of seeing and believing what was accomplished in it. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:14-15). Just as the brazen serpent looked like the fiery serpent, yet had no poison, so the Lord Jesus looked like a sinner, but had no sin. If men are to be saved, at some point they must be able to see the truth about the death of Christ and believe it. When that happens, the process of spiritual death will be abruptly terminated.
The ultimate effect of sin is death, just as the outcome of the snake-bites was death. In reasoning on this matter, the Spirit affirms that the very thing (man) that brought death must be the source of its remedy. Here is how it is stated. "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead" (1 Cor 15:21). That is precisely how Israel was healed from the poisonous snakes–by looking upon another kind of snake, so to speak.
When Moses prepared the remedy for the people, it was one requiring a look, not a work. Men did not have to accomplish a project to be healed, but only fasten their eyes upon the brazen serpent. That shiny brazen serpent was made in such a manner as made it highly visible. It was also hoisted on a pole to make it readily accessible. Herein is a glorious picture of God's effective remedy for sin.
In Christ's humanity, He became highly visible to all mankind. Deity was thus brought within range of our senses and perception. In His death, because of its unusual circumstances and nature, the Lord Jesus also stands out among men–highly visible. The accomplishments of His death hoist it high above all other deaths, making it stand out above all earthly tragedies and injustices, regardless of their magnitude.
When the dying Jesus is seen in truth, the poison of sin ceases to flow in our hearts. A certain healing comes to the individual, and marvelous recovery–all for a look!
PRAYER POINT: Father, thank You for making Jesus accessible to us--for enabling us to see Him by faith, and be healed from the stork of sin.