One of the events in the Scriptures in fulfilling the Messianic prophecies in Number 21:8-9 stated:
“And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on
a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9So Moses
made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he
would look at the bronze serpent and live.” ESV
After some time of
travelling, Israel became impatient, grumbled, and even called God’s blessing
of manna “worthless food.” God took offence at their sinful attitudes and sent
fiery serpents as judgment. After seeing the fiery serpents and experiencing the
consequences of their actions, they sought Moses and his intervention on their
behalf to the Lord. Moses intervened and
sought the Lord for healing. Then God told Moses what to do:
“And the LORD
said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is
bitten, when he sees it, shall live. 9So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it
on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and
live.”
Allowing sinful
attitudes of grumbling and discontent is not without its consequences, but with
humility, God responded with healing. Here’s what happened:
“God didn’t
remove the snakes, but He provided the cure. But the remedy was not
automatically effective for everyone. Each person had to believe God’s promise
and look at the uplifted snake if he or she wanted to live. But when a person
looked, he was healed instantly. There were no delays. He didn’t need to
accumulate enough good works to merit healing. The instant he looked; he was
miraculously healed.”[1]
In the Scriptures,
two specific events showed the pattern of God in providing healing:
·
Moses used a bitter stick to
sweeten bitter waters. (Exodus 15:25)
·
Elisha used salt to purify the
harmful water. (II Kings chapter 2)
These Biblical
accounts demonstrated that God is ultimately in control over everything.
Moreover, He can bring beneficence or destruction to the world by
employing any of the creatures he created.
Moving forward,
Jesus saw it as a picture of His redemptive act at the Cross of Calvary. Jesus
declared, “Just as Moses lifted the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man
must be lifted, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him” (John
3:14–15 ESV). The bronze serpent lifted in the wilderness became a
foreshadowing of fulfilling the plan of God for the salvation of humanity,
i.e., Jesus crucified
No copyright infringement intended.
on the Cross of Calvary.
As the
serpent on Moses’ staff was raised up to offer deliverance and healing, so,
too, would Jesus eventually be lifted up on a cross to offer eternal life. The
snake was elevated on a pole so that all of Israel could see it and be healed,
just as Jesus was lifted up on the cross so that all might see Him and be drawn
to Him for salvation.”[2]
Billy Graham shared,
“God’s holiness demands that sin be punished—but God’s love has provided the
way of redemption through Christ.”
God provided the
only remedy for humanity’s redemption; it’s simply looking unto Jesus as the
only source of redemption and trusting Him with our eternal life. Remember, any
offers outside of His offer are distractions from the enemy. Don’t be fooled.
Instead, become wise as our eternal destiny is at stake.
Remember Peter? “When
Peter actually walked on water for a brief time, he was okay as long as he kept
his focus on Jesus. It was only “when he saw the wind, he was afraid and,
beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me! (Matt. 14:30)”. That’s when
“Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said,
‘why did you doubt?’” (Matt 14:31).”
How was Jesus able
to keep Peter from drowning? Peter had to take his eyes off the winds, fix them
back on Jesus and keep himself from sinking. Always keeping our eyes on Jesus
makes a difference in our eternal destiny.
Let’s talk again!
