Look and Live!

Numbers 21:4–9 (HCSB)

“Then they set out from Mount Hor by way of the Red Sea to bypass the land of Edom, but the people became impatient because of the journey. The people spoke against God and Moses: ‘Why have you led us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!’ Then the LORD sent poisonous snakes among the people, and they bit them so that many Israelites died. The people then came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you. Intercede with the LORD so that He will take the snakes away from us.’ And Moses interceded for the people. Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Make a snake ‹image› and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will recover. So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. Whenever someone was bitten, and he looked at the bronze snake, he recovered.’”

What is your quarrel with God? Has He been unfair to you? Has He somehow deceived you? Has He not kept His promises to you? Has He abandoned you in your time of need?

I don’t know about you, but I get convicted when I complain to God.

The people said, “We have sinned in speaking against the LORD and you.” We have sinned, but do we realize it? Do we confess it as sin? Or do we excuse it?

Moses interceded and God said, “Make a snake out of bronze….” Why a snake? Why not a cross? The snake was the offending creature.

Think with me about the inclination of man’s heart. Had God instructed Moses to make a cross they would have worshipped that cross. Had he made a giraffe they would have worshipped the giraffe. But the snake was the very thing killing them! This is the brilliance of God. Even humans are not so stupid as to make an idol out of something they know is causing them misery.

God said, “Look and live!” That is the cross! That is the Gospel! It is not “Do this and live” but “Look and live.” We have nothing to do with looking. We cannot take credit for looking. God did all the work. All He requires of us is the faith to lift our eyes to His Son.

Is Jesus the snake? The snake was singled out for God’s curse. Sin is under a curse. The Bible says, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” Listen: All sin has within it the nature of the serpent—destruction. And Jesus became sin (the serpent) for us.

Do you think that looking at a hanging Jesus on a cross would inspire our hearts to love and wonder? We are filled with wonder that He would really do that for us, but…. Do you think that a convict slumping lifeless in an electric chair would inspire love and wonder? I think we might throw up! I think we might turn away in disgust and revulsion.

“But He did it for us!” I know—but think with me—He became sin—our sin. The Christ of the cross, mangled and bloody, is what God thinks of our sin! The effect of the cross on us should be to make us hate our sin!

I love the cross, but I hate the cross! Jesus is my Savior because He became the serpent of my sin. Thank God for the cross! And thank God for the empty tomb!