Looking to Jesus

I have been thinking a lot about this verse recently. I just finished studying the first five books of the Bible and this verse refers to an incident described in Numbers, 21:4-9.

The Israelites had once again complained to God about the lack of tasty food in the wilderness and kept reminescing about their lives back in Egypt where everything had been so much better (in their opinion). So God sent poisenous serpents into the their camp that bit many people and many of them died. Then the people repented and asked Moses to pray for them so that God would remove the serpents from the camp.

So Moses prayed and God asked Moses to make a brazen serpent and put in on a pole and whenever a snake bit a person the person was to look at the bronze snake and live.



An interesting verse and a challenge - look at a snake and live because God told you so.

I wonder what I would have done if I had been in that camp. Would I have been frantically groping around in my tent trying to find an anti-venom, cried out to my neighbour or my family, or just given up and died? I can vividly picture the scenes of confusion and devastation in that camp.

It almost sounds to good to be true - just look at it and be saved from certain death. There's nothing you can do so save yourself.

So the serpent and the pole become a beautiful picture of Christ hanging on the cross, being held there by his love for us, and all I need to do is look to him, put my trust in him and I will be saved.

I realise that I cannot face a righteous and holy God in my own righteousness. My own sinful nature keeps me from ever having true fellowship with God just as the Israelites were kept from having true fellowship with HIM by their selfish desires. Have you ever tried to go even five minutes without a nasty thought creeping into your mind? I tried on various occasions but never made it very far.

But God provided a way out for me just as he provided a way out for the Children of Israel. He sent his own son Jesus to take my guilt and shame, to die for them on the cross as the perfect sacrifice to atone for my sins and rise again to everlasting life.

My sins have been done away with - God remembers them no more. This is not a free ticket to go and do what you like AFTERWARDS, but I wouldn't want to do that anyway. Why would I want to grieve my Saviour? Why would you?