May 9: Bitten (part 2)

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. Numbers 21:8-9

This peculiar remedy specified by the LORD was a simple test. Of course they knew that there was no actual healing power in the bronze serpent on the pole. The healing would come from God alone. In wisdom, He displayed His power in this way, that they might learn this lesson: sinful attitudes serve only to bring woe, and simple obedience by faith removes fear and brings assurance. This remedy was not explained to the people at that time. To look in faith was understood only by those willing to look. The opportunity to exercise faith is a gift from God, but the choice to exercise faith is left up to us. Many centuries later, Jesus spoke with Nicodemus about being born again during the famous visit by night:

“And 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 everlasting life.” John 3:14-15

Those Israelites in the wilderness suddenly came face to face with the reality of certain death. To be healed from the venomous bite was a second chance at life! The mental picture of a serpent on a pole was alluded to later by Paul as he expounded upon this idea of new birth—becoming a new creation. He said:

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21

The exercise of our personal, God-given will to look to Jesus, trusting Him for every need, is a discipline that can and should become as natural as breathing. Look to Him in faith…and live!

Incredibly, the bronze serpent on a pole was still around some 800 years later. It was during the early years of young King Hezekiah’s reign. But instead of using it as a reminder of the power of God in the lives of those who obey Him, it became an object of worship, having been turned into an idol—a “good luck charm”—and even given a name (see 2 Kings 18:4). King Hezekiah wisely destroyed it!

If we are not worshiping the only true God, we can all too easily be led to worship something or someone else. It has been God’s instruction all along to guard against being lured away from Him with pagan practices. Most are counted as “harmless” but in actuality, the opposite is true. The wisest man who ever lived, King Solomon, was led away from his deep loyalty towards God through interaction with pagans and joining them in their practices (see 1 Kings 11). Fortunately, King Solomon repented and returned to the LORD at the end of his life. But OH!—the regrets, the irreversible harm done to others, the missed opportunities to lead others into a saving relationship with the LORD!

“Look to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:22