SIMPLY LOOK AT HIM
Text: Numbers 21: 8 – Then the Lord said to him “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to the top of a pole. Those who are bitten will live if they simply look at it” (New Living Translation).
God hates to hear us complain. Complaining is a way of indicting God. It irritates Him and He sees it as outright distrust of His abilities. All over the Bible, people who complained and murmured against God, He reprimanded. When the Israelites complained and murmured against God, not believing Him, He used venomous snake to punish them (Numbers 21: 4 – 6). When they recognised their evil deeds and repented (Numbers 21: 7), Moses prayed for them and God then gave him the instruction as we have in our text. Moses did this but the Israelites did not understand this as shadow of things is to come, that is salvation for man when he looks at Jesus on the cross.
When Jesus also said this in John 3: 14 & 15, still the Israelites did not understand He was speaking about His death on the cross. Jesus made it clear that as people bitten by the venomous snake where healed by simply looking at the bronze snake made by Moses, so shall everyone under the curse of sin, affliction, death, etc, will be healed when they look up to the perfect redemption work He will do on the cross.
Have the snake of sin, poverty, affliction, lack, sickness, etc bitten you and you are now suffering its consequences? Look unto Jesus on the cross (Hebrews 12: 2) and you will be healed. Note that it was not the bronze snake that healed the Israelites then but their faith. In the same way, we should continue to look unto Jesus with faith for our salvation.
Food for Thought: Christ’s death is effectual for our cure and healing
Prayer Points:
1. Use Mark 9: 24 to pray.
2. Bind any ‘snake’ the enemy has sent to bite you.
3. Pray for people you know that are still living in sin
