Look And Live

"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.' " (1)

As the Children of Israel traveled through the wilderness they became very discouraged on the way. They complained against God and Moses and against the manna that God provided that sustained their lives, which they referred to as "worthless bread". The Bible records that fiery serpents came in among the people and many of the people of Israel died.

The people came to Moses and asked for his intercession with the Lord that the Lord would take away the serpents from among them. "So Moses prayed for the people. Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live. So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.' " (2)

Why would God use the figure of a snake on a pole in the wilderness as a symbol for the people to look at to be saved from the poisonous venom of the snake infested camp of Israel? A snake is a symbol of Satan and sin. Why would God use a poisonous snake as a symbol to look at and live?

Listen to this! "For He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (3) There it is, Jesus was made to be sin for us. He represented that snake on the pole when He died on the cross. Jesus told Nicodemus, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." (4)

That snake on the pole was the perfect symbol of Jesus who died on the cross for you and me. Jesus took the sins of the world upon Himself on the cross and buried them forever in His death, so that in His resurrection, you and I might receive His life and His Spirit and live forever.

The Bible records that whoever was bitten by the poisonous snakes and who would look at the bronze serpent lived. How much more will God save those who look to Jesus, who is the antidote for the venom of the snakes of sin in our lives.

Thank you God, for giving us Jesus to whom we may Look and Live!

1. Numbers 21:8.
2. Numbers 21:7-9.
3. 2 Corinthians 5:21.
4. John 3:14, 15.