From Numbers 21:4-9:
From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food." Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, "Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live." So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.
The ancients thought that any unexplainable thing was from or caused by God. In this passage we see where the Israelites are being led to their freedom by Moses. But these were a murmuring people, griping about everything, even their newfound freedom! The writer's understanding was that as a result of their murmuring that God sent poisonous snakes and may Israelites died. The good thing was they realized this and asked Moses to pray for God to take away these snakes. And that's what Moses did, he prayed for the snakes to be taken away. The Lord said to Moses to form a poisonous serpent to be placed on a pole; "and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live." This Moses did, making a bronze serpent and whenever someone was bitten, by looking up towards the serpent they would live.
We have been bitten by the serpents of life; envy, strife, jealousy, lust, hatred, racism, distrust, doubt; a list too long for us to list here. But, we were also given that symbol of life, the cross of Jesus, where He was lifted up so that we might live. The serpent on a pole was a foretaste of that which was to come in Jesus; in Jesus' cross we find the fullness of life away from the sins that have bitten us and almost had us dead.
We can look down and not find that which gives life, or we can look up to Jesus and live!
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me remember that You are there for me. Let me look to You to find the life that I so desperately need. This I pray in Your name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
