When he looks at it, he will live.

Numbers 21:1-9  from the daily reading in the One Year Bible (link available on links page)

Arad Conquered

21 When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, then he fought against Israel and took some of them captive. ² So Israel made a vow to the Lord and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.” ³ The Lord heard the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites; then they utterly destroyed them and their cities. Thus the name of the place was called Hormah.

⁴ Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey. ⁵ The people spoke against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.”

The Bronze Serpent

⁶ The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. ⁷ So the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us.” And Moses interceded for the people. ⁸ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.” ⁹ And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.

As we continue in Numbers to follow the Israelites journey through the wilderness to their inheritance, the promised land, we need to remember that the reason they are still in the wilderness at this point is because they were not willing to believe God and trust Him to go into the promised land. They had believed the 10 spies who said the people of the land were too powerful, so God said they would wander in the wilderness for 40 years until those of that unbelieving generation had died.

The text today begins with God delivering the Israelites, giving them a military victory over Arad. In spite of God's deliverence the people quickly turn and become impatient.    ... the people became impatient because of the journey. ⁵ The people spoke against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.”

The people spoke against God and Moses. Remember it was the peoples own fault that they were still on this journey. They could have been in the promised land.   We need to understand that when we complain about our circumstances, particularly those we have created ourselves, we are not allowing God to teach us and help us to grow from our mistake. We blame others, as the Israelites blamed Moses, rather than repenting of the past and moving forward with God. Just as God was still with the Israelites,  God  is faithful to us even when we are unfaithful. The people complained that there was no food or water even though God had been supplying for there needs all along. It wasn't that they were starving or thirsty, it was that they were dissatisfied with what God was providing and the way He was doing it. It can be very difficult for us, in this western culture, who have so much, to remain content with just what we need. Philippians 4:19 says:  And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. All of our needs, not all of our greed.

The manna which God provided for the people was a daily provision, they needed to go out and seek it each day. We, in the same way,  need to seek God's spiritual food each day. Fresh manna from His word. There may be times when what we gather does not seem to be enough, it may be dry and tasteless, but His word will sustain us. It will nourish us and bring us through even the hardest times if we are faithful to seek it daily. 

The Israelites complained and grumbled against God. Grumbling is sin.  The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.  Fiery serpents means poisonous snakes. Their bite was deadly. Sin entered the world through the deception of the serpent. Here the people's grumbling against God opened the door to the deadly effects of the poison of sin in their lives.  Romans 6:23 says  the wages of sin is death... The people recognized their desparate situation,     the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us.”  Were they though truly sorry for their sin or did they just need a way out? Do we regret our circumstance or repent of our sin?

God's plan for salvation, His remedy for the consequence of their sin makes very little logical sense.  Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.” ⁹ And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.    Often people question God's answer to the problem. I can imagine many today would say that's ridiculous, how will looking at a bronze snake help me?    The truth is as God says in Isaiah 55:8-9

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
⁹ “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.

We should not question God's method. His ways are higher than ours. Many people question God's method of salvation from sin. They say it makes no sense or is not right that the only way to be saved from sin is to trust Jesus. The full verse of Romans 6:23 says: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Eternal life is a free gift given in and through Christ. Why should anyone question what is given freely? Just as there seemed to be no logical reason for a bronze snake to take away the deadly effects of poison, it just required obedience, so to salvation from sin requires obedience to God's plan and provision.

John 3:14-16 says:  As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; ¹⁵ so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. ¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

It may not make sense or seem logical, but it is truth. Unfortunately not all will accept simple truth.  John 3 continues,

¹⁷ For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ¹⁹ This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

The Israelites had a choice to make when they were bitten by the poisonous snakes. They could choose to run and hide not wanting their condition exposed. Or they could  accept that they needed a savior and turn to look at the salvation of God. People today have the same choice. Every person has been bitten by the poison of sin. Each person must choose whether they will hide from the truth of the effects of sin and so eventually die. Or will they look up and see their salvation, Jesus Christ on the cross. It makes no sense why He did it, but He did. Just as God made a way for the Israelites, He made a way for us all.  He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.(2 Corithians 5:21)

If you have never understood how Jesus could save you. If you have chosen to try to run from the effects of sin, I pray that today would be the day that you choose to trust God, to accept His plan for your life. I can't explain why or how God does it, it doesn't make sense. But it is truth. Jesus came to save, to redeem and restore. He came that we could have eternal life with God and He came that we could have and experience all of God's blessings and provision here and now.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit I choose life, I choose light. I don't fully understand how or why your plan works, but I know that I need You. Thank You Jesus, that You came and died for my sin. I look up to You and accept what You did for me on the cross. I am thankful that You not only died for my sin but that You were raised up from death. I too desire to walk in all the power of the resurrection, the new abundant life You provide. Thank You for Your daily provision, fresh manna, Your words of life to me daily.  Just as those who looked at the bronze serpent lived, I look to you and live. Thank You.  Amen