Illus: When it comes to snakes, most of us are like the fellow who said that the only kind of snakes he likes are dead snakes.
However, we all have seen some people who enjoy playing with these slimy creatures. Every time we see people doing this, we experience a comforting feeling from within that we are so glad that we do not have to claim kin to such people.
Today we want to look at this passage that often confuses Christians. That is, in our text snake is a picture of salvation.
But before we can understand what the Lord had in mind in comparing a serpent to salvation, we need to look at some more verses of scripture.
WHEN DID THIS TAKE PLACE? It took place when God had delivered Israel from the bondage of Pharaoh, and had each day miraculously provided them with fresh manna.
But they began to complain, and the God who had miraculously provided for them began to deal with them in another way.
Look at Numbers 21:6-9, We read, “And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.”
Our text begins by saying that the Israelites traveled from Mount Hor, along the Red Sea, and then headed south of Edom. The area south of Edom is a dry, rocky, barren wasteland. To say the least, it was not a vacation destination for the masses.
Israel had been wandering in the desert now for almost forty years. Almost all of those who had come out of Egypt with Moses and Aaron, were dead. This was an entirely new generation.
Israel was on the verge of entering the Promised Land. Between them and Canaan were their brothers, the Edomites. The Edomites, if you remember, were the descendants of Esau, whereas the Israelites were the descendants of Jacob. Moses sent messengers to the king of Edom.
Numbers 20:17, “Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king's high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders.”
But Edom answered with a threat. Look at Numbers 20:18, we read, “And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword.”
Again Moses laid aside his pride, and requested permission to pass through Edom. But in Numbers 20:19, Edom again replied, “Thou shalt not go through"
In Numbers 20:20, Edom came out and attacked them. Because of Edom's response, Israel was forced to take a detour on the way to the Promised Land.
This detour meant a couple of hundred extra miles for the people of Israel. It wasn't a matter of taking another road – for there was no other road.
• Israel was forced to travel through desert – with loose sandy soil, and cliffs of granite
• There were terrible sandstorms
• There was little water
• There was little or no vegetation
Israel was forced to take the detour, on foot, with all of the women and children, and with all their flocks and herds.
I wanted to mention these things so that you might understand that they were traveling some rough terrain, and perhaps they felt they had a right to complain. And most likely, if we were there, some of us would be complaining.
The Israelites were not happy about passing through this area. They began to complain. The children of Israel complained about the way God was taking care of them.
Look at verse 5, “And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.”
Notice, the Bible says they, “…Spake against God, and against Moses…” Listen, if all you have got to do is find fault with God, and God’s man, you need to find something worthwhile to find fault with.
God was so displeased with their complaining, God sent fiery serpents among them to bite them. And when God got through with them, God got their attention, and now they are ready to admit they had sinned against God. Look at verse 7, they said, “…We have sinned…”
A lot of folks today can’t get any help from God, because they can see all the sin in the lives of others, but they can not see it in their own life.
They can confess the SINS OF OTHERS, but they can not even see the sins in their own life.
Illus: They remind me of a young man that once said to a preacher, "I do not think I am a sinner." Then the preacher asked him if he would be willing for his mother to know:
• ALL HE HAS DONE
• ALL HE HAS SAID
• ALL HE HAS THOUGHT
After a moment the young man said, "No, indeed I certainly would not like to have her know; not for all the world."
The children of Israel had found fault with GOD, and with GOD’S MAN, and after God sent judgment on them and the serpents bit them, they said, “We have sinned.”
Notice, they did not say, “WE HAVE MADE A FEW MISTAKES,” they said, “WE HAVE SINNED!” Once a person is willing to face THE REALITY OF SIN IN THEIR LIFE, they are in a position that God can help them. Look at-
I. THE REMEDY IS NEEDED
When you have a problem, you need a remedy. They created this problem. HOW?
A. THEY DESPISED GOD’S WAY
Look at Num. 21:4 “And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and THE SOUL OF THE PEOPLE WAS MUCH DISCOURAGED BECAUSE OF THE WAY.”
Notice, they got themselves in trouble for several reasons. Look at verse 4. It says, “…The people was much discouraged BECAUSE OF THE WAY.”
Something we have a difficult time understanding and accepting, is that GOD’S WAY IS ALWAYS THE BEST WAY.
Illus: Have any of you fellows ever been driving around town with your wife, and your wife would say to you, “Why are you going this way?” What seems obvious to you is not obvious to her. So you try to explain to her that this is the BEST WAY, but she disagrees with you wholeheartedly.
Sometimes we disagree with God, we are convinced our way is the best way. Israel was convinced that their way was the best. The Bible says they got very discouraged because, “…OF THE WAY.”
• IT WAS A DIFFICULT WAY
• IT WAS A LONG WAY
But it was GOD’S WAY for them!
God was leading them with A CLOUD BY DAY, and a PILLAR OF FIRE BY NIGHT, and by His servants Moses and Aaron.
This was GOD’S WAY, BUT IT WAS CERTAINLY NOT THEIR WAY. Because the Bible says, “…The people was much discouraged BECAUSE OF THE WAY.” They not only despised GOD’S WAY, but also-
B. THEY DESPISED GOD’S FOOD
God fed them manna from heaven. Psa. 78:5a said “Man did eat angels' food:...”
God had provided daily fresh manna for them that would sustain them through their journey, but they ridiculed the provision. Notice what they said about the manna.
Num. 21:5 “...our soul loatheth this light bread.” Loatheth means to be disgusted with.
To them, the food that God was providing was DISGUSTING and WORTHLESS!
Today, there are men who still REJECT GOD’S WAY, and REJECT GOD’S FOOD.
Illus: Back in the 60’s, many churches had church buses to bring people to church. The competition to get people to ride the church buses became so great, that it was astounding. Many of them gave away hot dogs, and hamburgers, to get them to ride their buses. But the competition got so strong, that eventually they were giving away TELEVISIONS, PONIES AND FREE TRIPS TO HAWAII.
When these church buses drove up to bus stops, the people wanted to know what the driver had to offer them before they would get on the bus. They wanted to get the “best deal”.
We look back at that kind of stuff today, and we say, “That’s ridiculous!” But listen, it is no more ridiculous than things are happening today.
We have people today that are floating around from church to church, wanting to know what they have to offer before they will attend. They want to know:
• WHAT KIND OF ACTIVITIES DO YOU HAVE
• HOW MANY SKI TRIPS DO YOU MAKE EACH YEAR
• HOW MANY WEEK END RETREATS DO YOU TAKE
• HOW MANY DRAMAS DO YOU HAVE
They want to know everything the church has available to bribe them to attend. The one thing they don’t ask is, “DOES THIS CHURCH TEACH AND PREACH THE WORD OF GOD?”
And the reason they do not want to know this, is because this is not what they are looking for.
Today there is a famine of the Word of God in the land. The spiritual food that God’s Word provides is rejected by many today. Some of the most ridiculous things that you can imagine are being served to the so called people of God, and they are packing out coliseums and stadiums to be entertained, and fed the junk food that is being provided.
But people that are rejecting GOD’S WAY, and GOD’S WORD, are paying a tremendous price. Many of them paid through the sufferings of the bites, but some of them suffered death.
Because of these things, the fiery serpents came among them and bit them. Because they rejected God’s WAY, the Bible states that many of them died in that condition.
If you think that in our society you can do the same thing, and get away with it, YOU ARE MISTAKEN!
Through their sins they CREATED THE PROBLEM, but through God’s love GOD CREATED THE REMEDY. Look at several things in the remedy.
(1) NOTICE THAT THE BRAZEN SERPENT WAS LIFTED UP FOR THOSE WHO HAD BEEN BITTEN
It was sin that:
• Put that brazen serpent on that pole
• Placed Christ on that cross
The brazen serpent was lifted up for those who had been bitten. And everyone who looked to the SERPENT ON THAT POLE, that represented Christ, would LIVE.
(2) NOTICE THAT THE SNAKE BITE WAS DEADLY
Look at Num. 21:6 “And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and MUCH PEOPLE OF ISRAEL DIED.”
Sin is like the serpent, IT IS DEADLY! The children of Israel knew it was deadly, but they continued to play with it.
Illus: They were like Samson, who was playing with Delilah, but Samson found out too late, that Delilah was not playing. SHE MEANT BUSINESS!
And I can assure those of you who are playing with sin, that Satan is not playing with you.
Illus: Have you ever been in a hospital with a person that had AIDS? As the doctors and nurses treat them, they take every precaution, because they know that AIDS is deadly.
The children of Israel could look around and see WHAT THE SERPENTS HAD DONE TO THEIR LOVED ONES AND FRIENDS. They could see some who were SUFFERING, and others who had DIED.
Sin is deadly! It has done more to destroy happiness and lives, than anything else on the face of this earth.
(3) NOTICE THAT NO TIME LIMIT WAS SET FOR THE CURE
• Some may have looked to the brazen serpent as soon as they felt the sting of the bite
• Some may have looked to the brazen serpent as they saw their legs and arms begin to swell
• Some may have waited until they were about to loose their senses before they looked
The fact is, that whenever it was that they looked, they were given life!
The good news to every lost person today is that perhaps you have been serving the devil for years and years, BUT CHRIST WILL STILL SAVE YOU, IF YOU WILL LOOK TO HIM FOR SALVATION.
(4) NOTICE THAT THE REMEDY IS GIVEN TO EVERYONE
The promise was given:
• TO THE RICH AND THE POOR
• TO THE HEALTHY AND THE SICKLY
• TO THE YOUNG AND THE OLD
God’s promise was without exception! LOOK AND LIVE!
Num. 21:9 “....and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten ANY MAN, when HE BEHELD THE SERPENT OF BRASS, HE LIVED.”
THE REMEDY IS NEEDED. But also notice-
II. THE REMEDY IS PROVIDED
Illus: When Abraham was going to offer up his son Isaac, his son wanted to know where the sacrifice was coming from. The sacrifice was a type of God giving his only begotten Son. Abraham told Isaac, “God will provide.” And sure enough, when Isaac was about to be slain, God provided a sacrifice.
And God provided a sacrifice for us. God provided His only begotten Son to hang on the cross, and die for our sins.
God planned it and God carried it out. To man it must have seemed like a very odd remedy.
• Some may have thought it foolishness to look to that serpent on the pole. They died!
• Some today think the Gospel of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ is foolishness. They will DIE in their sin also!
God provided a remedy. They were to look to the serpent on the pole, and live.
The serpent on the pole represented Christ in three ways:
1. The bronze snake had the form of a real snake, but was without poison and altogether harmless. In the same way, God sent His Son in the form of sinful flesh, yet He was without sin (Rom. 8:3; 2 Cor. 5:21).
2. The snake was lifted up on a pole. In the same way Christ was lifted up on the cross.
3. The Israelites had to turn their eyes to the bronze snake in belief, in order to be cured of the poisonous bite. In the same way, we must look with faith to the Son of Man, lifted up on the cross, if we would be delivered from sin, death, and Satan.
Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
WE have seen THE REMEDY IS NEEDED, and THE REMEDY IS PROVIDED, but next let us look at-
III. THE REMEDY IS APPLIED
The cure was a simple cure. The person bitten did not:
• GO CONFESS THEIR SINS TO A PRIEST
• GO JOIN A CHURCH
• GO THROUGH ANY KIND OF CEREMONY
All the person had to do was LOOK and LIVE! It was a simple LOOK, believing in the CURE.
A. IT WAS PERSONAL
A man could not be cured by anyone else LOOKING FOR HIM, HE HAD TO DO IT FOR HIMSELF.
Illus: he could have gone to the best doctor they had, but still he would have died. The only thing that could save him was for him to personally LOOK AND LIVE.
Each lost person must themselves look unto Jesus Christ in FAITH for salvation. No one else can do it for them. Nothing in the salvation provided by God will save a person, unless they LOOK unto Jesus Christ. IT WAS PERSONAL, but also -
B. IT WAS PROVISIONAL
There was no place for self-help. A man who was bitten by the serpent may have:
• PLACED THE BEST MEDICINE AVAILABLE ON THE WOUND
• WRAPPED THE WOUND WITH THE MOST STERILE RAGS AVAILABLE
But all of this is to NO AVAIL, the only way he could survive was to LOOK and LIVE.
John 3:14-16 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
God loves us and in that love He has provided salvation for us.
Conclusion:
Man today can not claim any part in his salvation, for all he has done to be saved is to LOOK in FAITH to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The person looking to the brazen serpent was healed at once, even as he looked. He didn’t have to wait five minutes or even five seconds. He didn’t need to pray through, or prove his faithfulness. His healing was immediate! So it is today with salvation. The instant you look unto Christ you have life everlasting!
The song writer said it this way:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in his wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace.
I. THE REMEDY IS NEEDED
II. THE REMEDY IS PROVIDED
